Earth's Protectors II
by nld200xy
Summary: After a good number of years, evil has returned to terrorize Earth's inhabitants. Luckily, a new brand of heroes have been sent to protect the people from this threat, one such hero being Machop. With the help of three allies, she fully intends to live up to her father's image. But can she do this or will the forces of evil prove too much?
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own the Pokemon franchise or the creatures associated with it. It's also worth note that this is a sequel to a two fics I wrote with the same opening title. Now, unlike The Ultimate World Team Tournament story, this one can be understood if you didn't read the first one, but if you're curious, I recommend checking it out anyway. Some Pokemon will have their designs altered for story-related purposes as well. (Like any Pokemon that walks on more than four legs is going to use those extra legs as arms. Also, most flying types will be given arms) Also, much like before, this is heavily inspired by Kinnikuman, or as it's known in North America, Ultimate Muscle.

It had been many years since evil had been defeated. Many remembered that day when the world champion, Machoke and his wife, Gardevoir defeated the mighty genie, Hoopa and saved the world. But the peace was simply not meant to last.

Just as it seemed like the citizens of Earth were safe, new villains had risen up and once again, the heroes of old no longer had the youth needed to face them. As such, the torch was to be passed down to a new generation, a generation that would be trained in a school located on Hero Planet.

The one running the operation was a wasp known as Beedrill. Unlike his father, a caterpillar named Weedle, he had decided to allow potential heroes a choice on whether or not to join Hero School as opposed to forcing them to join just because of how desperate situations were.

He had also decided it would make more sense to train students longer, giving them half a year to prepare for the challenges on Earth as opposed to a month. While it was true that heroes could develop skills and build up strength faster than humans, Beedrill thought it unfair to send teens to fight evil on Earth with only a month of experience. And to make sure every area would be well protected within that time frame, he had decided to give as many students as possible the option to join as opposed to mere thirty to fifty.

Six months had passed and Earth could not wait any longer for protection. As such, all of the students were ready for the final exam that would decide whether or not they were ready to protect Earth.

Multiple fighting rings had been set up for the students. Each one was to fight a hero of the previous generation and whoever won his or her match would be deemed worthy of fighting on Earth.

And one of the first to go up was was a blue lizard-like girl named Machop. She had a slender build and three ridges atop her head. She also had a pair of bright red eyes and was the first member of her family to have a tail.

Currently, she was in the midst of a fight with a barnacle with a skinny orange torso, a brown hand for a head and rocks covering his upper and lower body named Barbaracle. He currently stood on the tips of his toes and headed toward the girl with his arms folded, shouting, "STONE EDGE!"

Seeing this coming, Machop smirked and thought, 'I'm not letting this hit me like Daddy did,' before holding out her arms and allowing the top stone to run into her hands.

The other heroes stared in amazement as an orange chicken with no arms smirked and exclaimed, "YEAH! THAT'S HOW IT'S DONE!"

This chicken was Machop's childhood friend, Torchic. Along with her orange feathers was a yellow crest atop her head and bushy yellow feathers covering her shoulders.

Next to her, cheering Machop on was one the girl had made friends with in her second month of Hero School. He was a rather bulky centipede with a magenta head and thorax. His shoulders had black ring-like markings on them and an upside-down Y marking was on his neck. He had two stubby legs, six short arms and a green striped abdomen. With two tails, this was Venipede.

Barbaracle's rocks scraped up against Machop's hands for a few seconds, a bit of blood squirting out. But after a while, the spinning stopped as the barnacle breathed heavily, the girl smirking. She had him right where she wanted him as she forced him to turn his back to her and took hold of his arms, leaping high above the mat.

Many stared in anticipation, a blue dog named Lucario thinking, 'Is she going to use it?' and it seemed his suspicions may have been correct as Machop used her ankles to lock Barbaracle's legs in place, spinning around and forming a small twister while flipping herself one-hundred-and-eighty degrees.

The area erupted into heavy cheers as Machop got closer to the mat, shouting, "MUSCLE TORNADO!" pulling just hard enough to bend Barbaracle's back. Thus he found himself unable to open his hand to save himself as his skull hit the mat hard, his eyes wide open.

After a few seconds, Machop released her hold on him and propelled herself into the air. She then performed a vertical flip and landed on her feet as Barbaracle collapsed, shooting him a peace sign with a big grin on her face.

The people all cheered as Lucario looked at a stop watch, thinking, 'Wow, she beat him in three minutes and twenty seconds. That's a new record. If only Machoke could have seen that,' Machop bowing to all the other heroes.

Barbaracle slowly rose to his feet, rubbing his skull as he uttered, "Damn, that smarts. And I thought your father was awesome," Machop nodding and replying, "Yeah, he was, but watch out, cause I'm ever better than Daddy ever was!"

Torchic placed two toes in her mouth and whistled in admiration, exclaiming, "Damn straight!" Venipede sighing, "She's so cool. It must be nice having the genetics of the world champ."

And sure enough, Machop's friends went up shortly after for their final exam. Torchic went up against a purple cobra named Arbok while Venipede's opponent was a red martial artist named Throh.

Since Torchic was the first in her family to have no arms, she ended up having to use her legs for her fight. Luckily, she seemed to fare well as after a few minutes, she managed to catch Arbok in a figure-four headlock, pinning him to the mat and holding tight. And after roughly a minute, Arbok patted his hand against the mat and grunted, "Uncle."

Venipede seemed to struggle a tad more as Throh had managed to take hold of his top left arm, swinging him into the turnbuckle. But just as the red fighter advanced toward him for more, the centipede narrowed his eyelids and thought, 'Thanks for the help.'

With that, he moved toward the rope and pushed back on it while rolling up into a ball. Throh blinked and stopped his attack, knowing what was coming next as he held his arms out. And sure enough, after a few seconds, Venipede launched himself off of the ropes while spinning at an incredible speed, shouting, "CENTIPEDE STEAMROLLER!"

With that, he rammed hard into Throh's face as the red fighter coughed up blood. He had actually planned on taking advantage of this and grabbing Venipede, but thanks to the force of the centipede's attack, he was unable to pull this off as he fell hard on his back, Venipede retracting from his ball-like state and blinking while uttering, "Did I just do that?"

'Not quite as impressive as when Scolipede used it back in the day, but still effective,' Lucario thought as many other students cheered, Machop shouting, "YEAH, YOU RULE, VENIPEDE!"

With that, the centipede suddenly remembered his opponent and reached his arm out toward him, Throh taking it with a grin and bowing his head. His grin widened as he said, "You are definitely worthy of this victory," a light smile implied with Venipede's eyes.

With that, the centipede exited the ring as Torchic held up a talon and said, "You did a mighty fine job back there," Venipede nodding and replying, "Yeah, I did, didn't I?" before pounding his middle left arm against the talon.

"Why didn't you tell me you were such a badass?" Machop jokingly asked with a smirk while resting an arm on Venipede's shoulder, both laughing.

Many other students went up and while some failed to defeat their opponents thus resulting in them having to stay another month, the vast majority won their matches. And soon enough, there was only one match to go, which so far had been the longest one.

The student partaking in this match was one even the staff barely knew a thing about. She appeared to be a silver praying mantis only her arms and legs were not as thin as one would expect and her hands were more like those of a human. She also had big red gem-like eyes and was known as Mantima.

Her opponent was a white kitsune named Ninetales and despite her age, she had dominated this new student throughout most of the fight. Currently, she had the mantis trapped in her tails as she spun her around, saying, "It's been interesting, but it would seem you are not yet ready to fight on Earth."

"No!" Mantima growled as she tried to fight the tails. But unfortunately, the kitsune seemed too strong as she exclaimed, "KITSUNE BOWGUN!" sending her flying toward the turnbuckle.

However, Mantima's eyes widened as she thought, 'That's it! I know how to counter this!' and just as she was about to hit the turnbuckle, she threw out her arms and took hold of the top of it.

With that, she used her hands to propel herself upward, performing a handstand while the others cheered and applauded her, the mantis thinking, 'Don't worry, Moms. I promised I would win this for you and I'm gonna do just that.'

With that in mind, she leaned backward before launching herself toward Ninetales, the kitsune unable to respond as she took a two-legged kick to her forehead. And after landing in front of her, Mantima wrapped her arms around her and lifted her up, resting her up against her shoulder.

She then jumped just high enough to lean backward as she exclaimed, "FLYING HAMMER!" planting the back of the kitsune's head into the mat. Sure, she had not provided enough force to draw blood, but it seemed to have dealt enough damage as Ninetales closed her eyes, Mantima allowing her to collapse.

And after a few seconds, Lucario nodded and exclaimed, "Excellent work, Mantima! You are the last student to graduate from Hero Planet!" the mantis raising her arms in the air while the other students applauded her.

But while none of the students noticed it, all of the instructors were rather curious about the move Mantima had used to end the match. As it just so happened, this was a technique used by an older hero named Scyther, only her version involved her leaping high above the ring thus adding some additional force when the opponent hit the mat. How did Mantima know it?

Whatever the case, she was ecstatic as some of the other heroes gathered around her to congratulate her. Some even hoped they would be assigned to the same area as her while Lucario already had an idea of where to send her.

But before graduation could come around, Machop went to a bench where she had placed a handbag. This was originally Gardevoir's but she wanted her daughter to have it with her just in case.

With that, Machop pulled out a cellphone as Torchic walked over, asking, "Gonna call your family?" the girl nodding and replying, "Yeah. Lord knows how Mama's gonna act if I don't tell her how I did."

With that, she dialled a few numbers. And after a few seconds, she got a response as a male voice said, "Hey there, Machop. Hold on, I'll get your mother."

Machop let out a light sigh and rolled her eyes, though she was actually quite happy that he had taken that into consideration. And after a few seconds, the male said, "Hey, I'm gonna turn on facetime," Machop nodding and replying, "Right," before turning on that function herself.

And sure enough, a grey lizard-like man with a head similar to that of Machop appeared on her phone's screen. And joining him was a woman with a white head and short green hair. These two were Machop's parents, Machoke and Gardevoir.

Currently, Gardevoir had a big smile on her face as she squealed, "Hey there, Machop! How's it going!?" the girl grinning and replying, "It's going great. I just passed the final test, and according to Lucario, I broke the old record!"

Machoke's eyes widened as he uttered, "You mean you won your match more quickly than Scyther and her friends did?" Machop nodding as Gardevoir exclaimed, "Wow! I knew you'd be awesome, but not that awesome! We are so proud of you!"

Machoke nodded before sporting a more serious look and asking, "You know the odds of you being sent to protect Paris are very slim, yes?" Machop nodding and replying, "Don't worry, Daddy. I know I'm more than ready to live on my own. Hell, I'm so awesome, I don't even need a trainer."

Machoke gave his daughter an awkward look as Gardevoir giggled nervously and replied, "Honey, you know she didn't mean it like that," the man sighing, "Right," before grinning and adding, "Great job, Machop. Earth is in good hands with you on the job."

With that, all three gave their goodbyes before hanging up. Needless to say, Machop's excitement was rising by the second. She could not wait to put her skills to good use. Sure, defeating an old hero was one thing, but saving someone from a villain was a whole other thing entirely.

Soon enough, it was time for the students to assemble to a hall where they would be assigned to their respective areas. While Machop headed off with the other graduates, Lucario nodded and thought, 'I have to admit, she is a lot more dignified than Machoke was. I heard he wasn't that much different from his father, but she has more drive and commitment. She just might have what it takes to surpass him.'

Once the students arrived in the hall, Beedrill stood on a stage where maps of different countries were projected behind him. And once he had the students' full attention, he cleared his throat and said, "Congratulations, each and every one of you. Out of the one-hundred-and-seventy-six students who joined us, one-hundred-and-fifty-three of you have graduated. Needless to say, I feel that Earth will truly be in good hands with all of you at the ready."

Torchic grinned and thought, 'I'll make you proud, Mother,' while Venipede looked a tad nervous.

"Based on your performances, each of you has been chosen for a specific area," Beedrill added, "Of course, with so many of you, plenty of locations will have more than one hero. After all, as great as you are, we can't just depend on one hero to protect an entire city, right?"

Many students nodded while some were unwilling to admit that the wasp had a point. But for the most part, many students were hoping to be paired up with their best friends, and they had heard that over the past, some decisions had been based off of how well certain heroes got along.

With that, Beedrill was ready to begin as he stated, "Venipede," the centipede trembling as his eyes widened, all the while thinking, 'Why am I first?'

Beedrill stated, "You surprised the staff a lot, and thus Lucario has deemed you worthy of protecting Tokyo, Japan," Venipede's eyes even wider as he uttered, "Really?" many congratulating him. After all, not just any hero could be assigned to Tokyo.

Beedrill then listed a few more students before coming to Torchic, saying, "Torchic, due to your incredible skills, you have been assigned to Tokyo, Japan," Venipede giving the chicken a big implied smile as she grinned and said, "Well, this should be fun, eh, partner?"

Machop smiled at the two before thinking, 'I wonder if I'll get to join them. I probably won't, but it would be so awesome.'

And shockingly, it seemed her wish had come true when Beedrill stated, "Machop, you have also been assigned to Tokyo," many clapping as she and her friends had the widest smiles, all three sharing a big group hug.

Beedrill gave an implied smile of his own as he thought, 'Wow, reminds me so much of Machoke and his friends. He'd have been so happy to see this,' before calling more names and locations.

Some students were just as lucky as Machop and her friends while others would be separated from the friends they had made at Hero School. But all-in-all, they took this very seriously and were just happy to be able to fight for the safety of Earth's citizens.

And once one-hundred-and-fifty-two had been called, it was finally time for the last graduate as Beedrill stated, "And Mantima, you have been assigned to Tokyo, Japan."

"Wait, what?" Mantima uttered, her eyes wide with shock. Sure, this was a big honour, but even so, she did not feel like she had earned that right.

Of all the graduates, she had struggled the most with her training and had taken the longest to defeat her opponent. She could not have been that good, could she?

Either way, she was more than happy to accept this as she bowed her head, Machop turning to her and whispering, "We should probably welcome her to the group," Torchic nodding in agreement. After all, Mantima was the only student in Hero School who had not made a friend during all six months.

But before they could do that, Beedrill stated, "Well, I just gotta say, you've all earned this. There are spaceships stationed outside to bring you to your respective locations. Best of luck to all of you."

With that, the wasp gave an army salute as the students all bowed their heads, walking toward the exit. All of them were excited to see their new homes, but most of all, the fact that they would soon follow in their parents' footsteps was certainly a big deal.

And soon enough, many students were flying toward Earth in space shuttles, Machop approaching Mantima and saying, "Hey there, Mantima. I just wanna say it's great to have you on our team," a big grin on her face as the mantis turned to face her, holding up her arms defensively.

However, once Machop's words sunk in, she lowered her arms and nodded, saying, "Yes. It'll be a pleasure working alongside you," before holding up her right hand.

Machop's grin widened as she placed both hands firmly against Mantima's, shaking it with excitement. However, before she could take it too far, Venipede walked over to her and patted her on the shoulder, saying, "I think that's good enough."

"Oh yeah, of course," Machop replied with a light chuckle as Mantima stared wide-eyed, thinking, 'She's a lot stronger than I imagined.'

Soon enough, Venipede and Torchic had shook her hand as well, only they were a lot more gentle. Either way, this certainly helped ease Mantima's conscience, though she really hoped she would be good enough to help out her team. After all, she still found it weird that she of all graduates had been assigned to such an important area.

And it would not be long until the heroes reached Earth, all of them wondering what their homes would be like. Each already had a house assigned to him or her paid in full by Hero Planet's government and to make things easier, they would also send the heroes a weekly allowance so they could pay for food among other things. One would even say this was more like their salary.

But most of all, Machop really hoped that she could live up to her family's name. Sure, she had done well against an old hero, but she knew the villains on Earth would be a lot tougher.


	2. Chapter 2

It had been a few hours since the Hero Planet graduates had been sent off to their new homes on Earth. Needless to say, this was both an exciting and scary experience. After all, not only would these heroes face evil for the first time, but they would all have to provide for themselves. It was a good thing Hero Planet's government had already covered rent and would even give them money to spend on food.

As a certain vessel flew over Tokyo, Machop's eyes sparkled as she squealed, "I wonder what kind of house I'll live in! Maybe they'll give me a big mansion since I was number one in the class!" a big grin on her face as Torchic rolled her eyes and sighed, "Or maybe the government won't discriminate and will just give each of us a simple house to live in."

"I hope I get to live with one of you gals, honestly," Venipede uttered as he trembled and hugged himself, "I can't stand the thought of living alone," Torchic taking a deep breath and replying, "There, there. You're a big boy now. I'm sure you can handle it."

"You really think so?" the centipede asked as Machop flashed him a grin, replying, "Yeah. You're a lot more badass than you think you are," the girl holding her thumb up.

Mantima, meanwhile, had a serious look in her eyes as she thought, 'I don't care where I live. I just hope I can protect all of these people. After all, that's what Mom trained me for.'

And soon enough, the heroes were all dropped off at their respective homes. Torchic had a simple house, just the kind she had imagined. And while Venipede was rather scared to live on his own, he felt a touch relieved when he wound up being assigned to a condominium. At the very least, there would be others to give him company if need be.

And while Mantima had also received a simple house of her own, Machop could not even describe the feelings she had when she saw her new home. As it just so happened, she had wound up with a small shack with her grandfather, Machamp's face painted on it, the door located in the middle of an open mouth.

As much as Machop should have felt disappointed by the size of this place, she was more confused and disturbed by the fact that someone had actually made this many years ago. Not to mention the placement of the door made it feel like if she were to enter, it would be like being eaten by her grandfather. That alone was a scary thought.

Even so, she shrugged and sighed, "It's just a house," before approaching it and pulling a key out of her hand bag. She then unlocked the door and opened it. And once inside, she looked around with a hint of wonder.

While the interior was nothing too special, she noticed a lot of photos of Machoke back when he was in his teens hanging on the wall. Some showed him spending time with Gardevoir while others featured him with a purple monkey.

"That must be Aipom," Machop said with a grin as she looked it over, "Daddy told me she was an awesome trainer. Though man, was she ever short?" the girl looking around some more and adding, "This must be where Daddy used to live before he moved to Paris."

She then scratched the side of her head, asking herself, "Why wouldn't he take these photos with him?" before noticing one in particular that she had seen another copy of at her house back in Paris.

This was taken thirteen years before Machop's birth. It was a photo of Machoke along with all of his friends at what appeared to be the interior of a club. And Machop was aware of this place's existence as Machoke and Gardevoir had told her about it plenty of times, right down to the fact that this was where the man had proposed to his darling wife.

'I wonder if I should give that place a shot,' Machop thought, 'They always made it sound like fun,' before shaking her head as her mind added, 'No, I should probably look for evil to fight first. I'm gonna be the first of my friends to take down a villain in Tokyo just like Daddy.'

With that in mind, the girl immediately exited her shack and locked up, a grin on her face as she said, "Hello, Tokyo, you've got yourself a new hero," before marching along the street.

The girl was not too surprised to find that barely anyone gave her so much as a quick glance. Unlike Machoke, she grew up on Earth and thus she was well aware of the fact that humans knew of the existence of her kind and often treated them like normal people. But once she defeated her first villain, they would know her name for sure.

While walking along, Machop noticed Torchic going for a stroll of her own as she smiled and waved to her. The chicken perked up and turned, giving her a big open-beak smile before running over and saying, "Well, wasn't expecting to run into you so quickly. So, what do you think of Tokyo so far?"

"Well, I haven't seen much yet," Machop replied, "I've only been out for about ten minutes. Besides, I got no time to enjoy the sights. I wanna find myself a villain to defeat!" as Torchic shook her head and replied, "Hey, try to enjoy the peace while it lasts. I'm sure we'll know if someone's in trouble, alright?"

Machop bit her lower lip before sighing, "Well, okay," before grinning and adding, "But if we see a news report or something like that, I got the first fight, got it?"

Torchic shrugged her shoulders and replied, "Well, if you insist. Just as long as you let your friends get a little glory too, right?" Machop nodding and replying, "Of course. It's not like I'm the only hero in Tokyo, right?"

She then slugged her friend on the shoulder as the chicken chuckled and returned the gesture with a talon. And deep down, Machop figured that Torchic could very well be right about this. If evil did emerge, they would likely hear about it, so there was no harm in exploring their new home.

And yet despite this, Machop was still on high alert the whole time. After all, her father had been the first to defeat a villain in Tokyo as had her grandfather. She wanted to live up to that legacy. If she could pull that off, she would feel satisfied.

Torchic had lost sight of this as she spotted a particular building, saying, "Hey, I think I know what that is," Machop turning and asking, "A building?"

"Not just any building," the chicken remarked, "Look," pointing at a sign that said 'Tokyo Day Club'.

Machop blinked and nodded, saying, "You don't suppose-" as Torchic nodded with a smirk and replied, "Exactly. There's no doubt in my mind that this is the same club my Mom and your Dad used to hang out in. Come on, what say we go in for a look?"

Machop bit her lower lip as she uttered, "We probably shouldn't enter without the others around," as Torchic sighed, "Well, I kind of agree, but at the same time, it's right there. Look, I'll call them up right now and if they wanna join us, they can do so after we're inside, alright?"

Machop nodded as she knew she had no argument against this. As much as she wanted to agree with Torchic's idea of having a little downtime, her mind was still fixated on looking for evil to fight. In fact, with the rise in crime since the heroes of old had been overpowered, she was surprised not to have run into anyone yet.

Even so, once Torchic was done with her phone call, Machop soon found herself in the club as an elderly man was cleaning up a mess. However, upon hearing the door open, he perked up and turned, saying, "Oh, hello. Welcome to the Tokyo Day Club."

"Howdy," Torchic replied with a grin as Machop bit her lip, uttering, "Uh... hi?"

The man's eyes widened briefly as he walked over to the girl, saying, "You look very familiar. I mean, okay, you kind of lack the muscle, but those ridges and that face definitely look like him," Machop not sure whether to feel offended or not as he asked, "Are you, by chance, related to Machoke?"

Torchic smirked and said, "Well, you got yourself an admirer," Machop grinning and replying, "Yeah, I'm his daughter, Machop. Pleased to meet you."

"Oh, the pleasure is all mine!" the man replied with a grin as he shook her hand, "Your father and his friends were my favourite members! Oh, how I wish they'd come back and visit! Everything was always much more lively when they were around!"

"Wow, he must have spent more time here than I thought," Machop whispered as Torchic nodded and stated, "By the way, my mom's named is Blaziken. You remember her, right?" the man gasping, "Wow! So the old girl did get married in the end! How's she been?"

Torchic smirked and replied, "She's doing alright," as the man nodded and said, "Please, have a seat. I'll get you two some drinks on the house."

As he walked off, Machop uttered, "Wow, and just think, if we make a name for ourselves, we could get treatment like this from everyone," as Torchic nodded and replied, "Yeah, this is pretty nice. I hope the others get here soon."

After a minute, the owner returned with a fruit punch and a bottle of whisky, saying, "Here you go," handing each one to Machop and Torchic respectively, both staring as he asked, "Is this to your liking?"

"Sorry, but I don't drink," Torchic uttered as the man blinked and replied, "Sorry. It's just, well, your mother used to get that a lot here. Figured her tastes must have rubbed off on you. Do you want something else, Machop?"

"Oh, I'm fine," Machop replied with a grin, "I'm not too keen on alcohol, so this is my cup of tea, figuratively speaking," the man taking the bottle of whisky away before saying, "I'll be back with a drink more suitable for your tastes," giving Torchic a wink.

"How old were our folks when they used to come here?" Torchic asked as Machop snickered and said, "Wow, your mama drank when she was fourteen. That's pretty hardcore," before taking a sip of her fruit punch.

But before she could consume more, Torchic noticed something on a small TV in front of them, nudging her friend on the side and pointing her talon toward it. And soon Machop noticed it as it showed a news report of a pair of villains threatening the lives of two police officers.

One was a cluster of orbs combined together to form a single body. Each was red on the top and white on the bottom, a pair of eyes on the upper-most orb.

The other was a tall white sloth with two black claws on each paw. On her forehead was a red tuft of fur that resembled a flame as her nose matched the colour. She also had a light-brown ring around each of her eyes and a muzzle of the same colour.

The orb cluster turned to the camera as she stated, "Alright, Tokyo, as you can see, your loyal police force is useless against us! Surrender the city and they won't be harmed! You have an hour to comply!"

Torchic was mortified to see this while Machop had a light smile on her face. However, she very quickly replaced it with a serious look as she said, "Alright, Torchic, let's go," the chicken nodding as the two got up.

The owner entered with Torchic's beverage as he noticed the report, saying, "Oh yeah, you two had better hurry," a grin on his face as he added, "To think Tokyo will be saved by the kids of Machoke and Blaziken! It's so exciting!"

Machop nodded with a light smile as she and Torchic exited the club. All the while, the chicken hoped that the others had seen the report as well. While there may have only been two villains, one could only imagine how tough they would be.

Luckily, both were on their way to the club when they saw the report on a big-screen TV attached to the top of a building. If they hurried, they could make it in time to help their friends and thus they raced toward the area.

Mantima, especially, wanted a shot at this. She wanted to prove that she was ready to take on the evil threatening Earth even if she had to die trying. Though it was not so much the citizens of Earth or even her folks but herself that she wanted to prove her worth to.

All the while, the officer being held by the orb cluster trembled and uttered, "Please let me go, sir. I'll let you commit all the crimes you want. I can't let my wife take care of my children by herself, I just can't!"

"That's very commendable," the cluster replied, "But unfortunately for you, I don't give a shit! As long as the mayor of this city decrees us the new rulers, we'll let you live!" the sloth nodding as she covered up her hostage's mouth with one hand, saying, "You should seriously try this. They don't give you lip."

However, at that moment, the villains' eyes widened when a voice entered the area, shouting, "PUT THOSE NICE PEOPLE DOWN RIGHT NOW!" both turning to see Machop standing there with her finger pointed at them, the girl adding, "You're not taking control of Tokyo on our watch!"

The sloth's eyes and mouth were wide open as she dropped her officer, the woman fleeing for her life as she uttered, "Oh my god, since when does Tokyo have anyone protecting it?"

The cluster remarked, "I don't care," before deliberately releasing his hostage and allowing him to escape, adding, "If we take down these two, then Tokyo will have no choice but to give into our demands and we'll be recognized as the awesome villains who defeated Tokyo's heroes."

"Hey, are you listening to me!?" Machop snapped as Torchic added, "Yeah, we're standing right here!"

"Sorry about that," the orb cluster replied with an implied smirk, "We were just discussing our next course of action here," the sloth nodding and saying, "Yes, but first, we should probably introduce ourselves. After all, we'd love for you to know the names of the ones who bested you in combat today."

Machop frowned as the cluster folded his arms and said, "I am Voltorb, the master of electricity!" the sloth adding, "And I'm Vigoroth! You made a big mistake challenging us!"

Torchic smirked and retorted, "Don't underestimate us," as Vigoroth retorted, "Says the one with no arms."

The chicken's eyes and beak widened in response to this. While she often tried to keep a positive attitude even in the worst of situations, something about these very words got under her skin.

Machop saw this as Torchic twitched and said, "I'll give you the first opponent, but make sure it's that Voltorb guy. I want a crack at that sloth bitch!" Machop uttering, "Whoa, I rarely ever hear you swear," before thinking, 'Was it the no arms crack? I thought she was comfortable with that.'

However, before either could start a fight, Voltorb stated, "However, I suggest we fight somewhere more fitting," Machop retorting, "Wait, what!?"

"Oh yeah, that's right," Torchic uttered, now starting to calm down as she explained, "Most disputes between heroes and villains are settled in the ring. I guess what he's suggesting is that we take this to an actual fighting ring."

"Wait, you mean we fight villains in matches like we did with the Hero Planet teachers?" Machop uttered, "That's just weird," as the chicken shrugged her shoulders and remarked, "True, but it's also tradition."

"Exactly," Voltorb replied with a nod, "As such, I request a challenge in the local fighting arena," pointing in the direction of it, "Meet us there within the hour. We'll give you a bit of time to prepare yourselves."

Machop was unsure of this, but even so, she would have much rather made her debut in front of hundreds or even thousands. After all, a match in a ring would certainly garner a lot more attention and thus she nodded and said, "Alright, we'll be there, right, Torchic?" the chicken nodding.

With that, the two villains left the area as Venipede and Mantima just happened to arrive, the centipede looking around nervously and uttering, "Oh, hey guys, where are those villains from the news?" Mantima sighing, "Looks like they're not here."

"Oh, thank goodness," the centipede replied as Machop stated, "Yeah, they took off to get ready for our fight," Venipede trembling and uttering, "You mean you didn't already deal with them?"

"Nope," Torchic replied before shaking her head, "We're gonna face them in an official match in the local arena. That's how heroes and villains have settled disputes on Earth for years."

"Really?" Venipede uttered as Machop shrugged and replied, "Yeah, it sounds weird to me, too, but now that I think about it, every one of Daddy's recorded fights did take place in a ring," Venipede nodding and replying, "Oh yeah, it was the same for my mom too."

Even so, Mantima felt a tad disappointed as she sighed, "And I'm guessing since you've already challenged them, they'll specifically fight you, right?" Torchic nodding and replying, "Yeah, but Machop's getting the first match. She wants to follow in her father's footsteps and get the first win in Tokyo. I figure why not."

Mantima felt rather annoyed by this but tried her hardest not to show it. After all, these were her new friends here. If anything, it would have been selfish to demand that they give her the first shot, especially when Tokyo's freedom was on the line.

And deep down, Venipede was quite happy to hear this. In fact, a part of him was really hoping his friends would do all the work for him, but why? Surely he was just as focused on saving people as the others.

Soon enough, the group arrived at the arena as Machop grinned and said, "We're gonna kick so much ass today, aren't we?" Torchic nodding and replying, "Yeah. So far, only one person knows who we are, but soon everyone will know our names."

With all said and done, all four friends entered, Mantima thinking, 'Why am I even here with them? They clearly don't need me. There might be another villain elsewhere and we're only focusing on these two. What am I thinking?'

After a small walk down the hallway, the group entered the fight area where both Voltorb and Vigoroth were waiting. The two villains smirked at them as all of the bleachers were filled with spectators, a fifty-year-old woman with short black hair and her twenty-year-old daughter with longer hair of the same colour sitting in the announcer's booth.

"Wow, look at all the people," Machop said with stars in her eyes, the older announcer exclaiming, "Alright, people of Tokyo, the challengers who will fight for our freedom are here! I am Nori and joining me is-"

"Mom, don't!" the younger woman retorted, "I told you, I'm not becoming an announcer. I only came because you wanted me to see what it was like," Nori sighing, "Right. Sorry, Yuki."

Despite this little dispute, the audience cheered wildly as Machop waved to the crowd, Voltorb raising an eyebrow and asking, "Hey, who are those two with you?"

Mantima scowled and retorted, "For your information, we're Tokyo's other heroes! If you'd rather fight me instead, I'll gladly take you!" fire in her eyes as Nori stated, "Whoa, someone's fired up!" only for her daughter to face-palm and grumble, "Please don't talk like that."

Voltorb laughed and replied, "I like your spirit, but we've already agreed to face your friends here," Vigoroth nodding and adding, "Yes, if you wanted a piece of us so badly, you should have come sooner, then we might have actually considered it."

Machop gave Mantima an awkward look as Nori said, "Hey, you, girl," pointing at Machop as she turned and uttered, "Me?"

"Yeah," Nori replied with a nod, Yuki shaking her head as the woman asked, "You look very familiar, like someone I've seen in the ring many times. Are you, by chance, related to Machoke?"

Machop nodded with a grin and replied, "Yeah, I'm his daughter, Machop," as the crowd immediately went wild upon hearing this, Voltorb and Vigoroth's eyes widening as the sloth uttered, "How did we not see that? It should have been obvious," the orb cluster sighing, "I'm ashamed of myself."

"And she's not the only one related to someone famous!" Torchic exclaimed, "I'm Torchic, Blaziken's daughter!" the crowd even more excited as Nori exclaimed, "You heard it yourself, folks! We have the kids of three legends fighting for us now! I feel in good hands, that's for sure!" Yuki grumbling, "You're giving them too much credit," folding her arms.

However, Machop did not seem to think so as she held her hand up to the side of her head, saying, "Wow, so this is what it's like to have people cheer you on. I can see why Daddy liked it so much," Torchic nodding and replying, "But remember, if we fall, we won't hear those cheers anymore."

With that in mind, Machop nodded as Mantima sighed, thinking, 'And of course, no one even knows who my moms are. I wish I could reveal that information, but they probably wouldn't even let me fight evil if I did.'

With that, Machop cleared her throat and stated, "By the way, you, orbs guy, I want you as my first opponent on Earth," pointing at Voltorb as the cluster folded his arms and nodded his head, saying, "Alright, I'm fine with that. I feel honoured to be chosen by the legendary Machoke's kid."

Vigoroth seemed to feel the same as she frowned, grumbling, "You're lucky. Just think, if you can defeat her, your name will go down in history," Voltorb nodding and replying, "Don't forget, your opponent is Blaziken's daughter. That's nothing to scoff at either."

With that, the cluster pointed an arm toward Machop and said, "I look forward to our match, but because I feel so generous, I will give you ten minutes to ready yourself," Nori's eyes sparkling as she squealed, "I wonder if she's going to set up an elaborate entrance like her father always did!"

Yuki stared awkwardly and uttered, "That's all you care about?" before folding her arms and pouting. She just wanted this all to end so she could go home and plan out her future.

And with all said and done, Machop headed toward a changing area to prepare herself, a grin on her face as she thought, 'This is gonna be great. I hope you're watching, Mama and Daddy, because I want you to see this.'


	3. Chapter 3

This was it. Machop was finally going to get her first victory on Earth and help save the people of Tokyo just like her father had done so before. She remembered watching a recording of his first match in her youth, when Machoke went up against an orange cybernetic lightning rod named Rotom.

It had been a very tough fight with Rotom constantly changing form. There was even a point where he became an oven and almost baked Machoke to a crisp, but ultimately, the hero managed to escape and the rest was history.

Machop wanted to do just that as she had the biggest smile on her face. And she would at least make a good first impression by giving the audience a show before the match could begin. After all, while this was a fight between a hero and a villain, it also doubled as a wrestling match.

The others took a seat in the crowd as Mantima folded her arms. While it would have been for the best to see Machop win, a part of her wanted to see her lose, but why? Why would she think something so horrible about her own ally?

Venipede and Torchic, on the other hand, were fully supportive of their friend as the chicken grinned and said, "I can't wait to see her in action again," only for Mantima to sigh, "We saw her fight this morning. It hasn't been a long time."

Both friends stared at her briefly before shrugging their shoulders, figuring she probably meant nothing malicious by this. After all, she had a point. It was not as if the group had gone a week let alone twenty-four hours without seeing Machop in action.

While Machop had been preparing for the match, Voltorb decided to stay in the ring and wait while he leaned up against a turnbuckle. Vigoroth stood by the side of the ring as she saw no need to leave her spot either, her arms folded as the ten minutes had passed.

"Alright, folks, it's finally time for this match to begin!" Nori exclaimed as Yuki sighed, "Finally is an understatement," the older woman giving her an odd look before shaking her head and smiling once more.

"In the red corner, representing the villains is an odd-looking being whose entire body is made out of spheres! I am of course referring to Voltorb!" Nori stated as the crowd booed, the cluster of orbs holding his arm up to the side of his head, exclaiming, "Yeah, keep em coming! I love it!"

"Wow, a villain getting a thrill from being booed," Yuki groaned, "How cliche. It's like something out of a bad kid's TV show," as Nori let out a sigh.

Once the crowd calmed down, the woman cleared her throat and added, "And in the blue corner, representing Tokyo's heroes, the daughter of the mighty Machoke, Machop!"

The crowd went wild as the girl stood by the entrance with a gymnastics outfit on. She then held her arms up before leaning forward and planting her hands firmly against the floor. That soon escalated into a somersault toward the ring as she propelled herself high into the air, performing a vertical flip and landing on her feet with her arms spread out.

She had a big grin on her face as she pointed at Voltorb and exclaimed, "YOU'RE GOING DOWN!" the crowd cheering even louder as Torchic held her toes up to her beak and whistled, shouting, "Yeah, tell it like it is, sister!" Venipede clapping as well.

Mantima was not even sure how to react to this. On one hand, putting together a spectacle like this seemed unnecessary, but then again, her mother used to do this all the time before her matches, so at the very least, this was common. But even so, it still felt a tad unnecessary.

Yuki saw it as a waste of time as she sighed, "It's like she doesn't even take this seriously," only for Nori to shake her head and think, 'Actually, I'm a tad disappointed. Machoke almost always had these over-the-top, creative entrances. This was pretty straight-forward. It was effective, but it lacked the Mach family flare.'

Even so, she knew she had to be professional as Voltorb implied a wicked smirk with his eyes, saying, "Good to know you take this as seriously as you let on before. I heard your dad had a tendency to get cold feet before a big fight. Are you like that?"

'Wait, Daddy was a coward?' Machop thought before shaking her head and sporting a more serious look, remarking, "I'm nothing like that! I've been waiting for this since I came here and there's no way I'm backing down!"

With all said and done, the two fighters stood on separate sides of the ring as Nori said, "Well, if you two are ready, I guess it's time to start this match!" before ringing the bell as Machop wasted no time charging toward Voltorb.

The crowd was beyond excited as Nori stated, "And Machop's already on the offensive while Voltorb just stands there and does nothing!" and it seemed so as the cluster of orbs did not even so much as move.

"He does know the match has started, right?" Venipede uttered as Yuki groaned, "Oh, come on, he's so obviously planning to move to the right at the last second so her head rams into the pole. It's the oldest trick in the-"

However, the younger woman was cut off when Voltorb did something else. Rather than moving to the side, he shifted his right foot forward and said, "Electric Grenade," as the orb representing his foot detached itself from the leg and rolled forward.

"MACHOP, LOOK OUT!" Torchic spat, but it was too late as electricity shot from the orb, creating a sphere that covered the general area, Machop failing to notice this as she took in a shock to her leg.

The crowd gasped as the girl cried out in pain, Voltorb using this opportunity to race toward the girl with his arm out. And before she could even respond, she took the arm to her neck, letting out a hacking sound before falling on her back.

Everyone stared in shock as Nori stated, "Just as it looked like Machop would get the first hit for sure, Voltorb surprises us all with a booby trap," Yuki nodding and thinking, 'I hate to admit it, but she's right. If these were two humans fighting, he definitely wouldn't have been able to pull that off.'

However, Machop was far from done as she rose to her feet, gritting her teeth and growling, "That was a lucky shot!" before wrapping her arms around Voltorb.

With that, she proceeded to lift the cluster up while leaning backward, planting his head hard against the mat. Voltorb's eyes widened as the crowd went wild, Nori exclaiming, "And just like that, Machop makes up for the damage dealt earlier with a perfectly executed suplex!"

"Yeah, way to go!" Torchic shouted with excitement, Venipede saying, "I knew there was no way that would keep her down."

However, before Machop could release her hold, Voltorb implied a smirk as he said, "Not bad, but this is nothing," before separating his feet from his legs again, shouting, "ELECTRIC GRENADE!" electricity forming around the orbs.

With that, Machop took a shock to her chest as she cried out in pain, releasing her hold on Voltorb as she started to fall backward. And as she landed against the cluster, he immediately wrapped his legs around her head, tightening the hold as her neck started to cave in.

The crowd was truly scared now as Mantima stared wide-eyed, thinking, 'Is she actually going to lose?'

Machop cried out in pain as Nori said, "And thanks to Voltorb's Electric Grenade, Machop's advantage has left her as she is now trapped in a headlock."

Machop placed her hands up against the legs and gritted her teeth, growling, "No, I'm strong enough to get out of this!" only for Voltorb to plant his hands against the mat. He then lifted himself up along with Machop as he leaned backward, planting her skull hard against the mat with a frankensteiner, the girl trying her hardest to ignore the pain.

"I have to admit, I'm actually kind of disappointed right now," Voltorb said with an implied smirk as Torchic spat, "COME ON, MACHOP, GET UP! THIS IS NOTHING!"

As she struggled to rise to her feet, Voltorb proceeded to leap high above the ring, shouting, "Can't let you do that!" before tucking his body in. Soon, all of the orbs came together to form a giant one as he descended toward Machop, shouting, "ELECTRO METEOR!" his body covered in electricity as he landed hard against the girl's back.

Machop cried out in pain as for the first time in the match, she coughed up blood. The crowd winced at the sight of this as Nori uttered, "And with that, Machop has taken in even more pain," Yuki genuinely concerned now. After all, if Machop and Torchic lost, Tokyo would have to cave into the villains' demands.

Mantima stared wide-eyed as Venipede spat, "COME ON, MACHOP, GET UP! YOU'RE SO MUCH BETTER THAN THIS!"

Even so, it seemed that everyone's fears were true as Voltorb reverted to normal, leaping off of her as Vigoroth smirked and said, "Kind of pathetic for the daughter of Machoke, eh?"

No one could believe it as Machop's eyes were rolled to the back of her head, the girl not moving an inch. And after half a minute, Nori gulped and rang the bell, saying, "And in a rather short period of time, it seems that Voltorb has won this match."

An uproar started among the crowd as the people panicked, Torchic's eyes and beak wide open as she trembled, uttering, "No, it can't be."

Mantima looked around, staring at all the frightened faces and thought, 'Oh my god, what have I done? I caused this, didn't I?'

While the very notion was ridiculous and highly unlikely, Mantima could not help but feel that her small desire to see Machop lose had caused this. Deep down, she simply wanted a chance to face one of these two, but seeing just how serious this was made her think otherwise. This was not right. Machop should have won this match.

But it seemed the girl was not completely finished as her eyes shot open. She struggled to get up and grunted, "No! I-I haven't lost yet, Nori! Retract your verdict!" the woman blinking as she thought, 'Is this that same resistance Machoke always showed in his matches?'

However, it seemed this was not the case as just as soon as Machop rose to her feet, she was back on the ground, having fallen forward on her face. Her eyes were closed now as there was no denying it. Machop needed a good rest.

"Guys, I'm starting to wonder if I can take on that Vigoroth girl," Torchic uttered, "Voltorb's significantly more powerful than the teachers on Hero Planet," Venipede nodding and adding, "I knew they'd be tougher, but not that much tougher. Now I'm starting to wonder why I even chose to attend Hero School."

Right now, Mantima was the most scared out of all of them. She thought she knew what she was getting into, but deep down, she did not.

However, her fear only heightened when Voltorb glared down at Machop, saying, "You know, that was really disappointing. Vigoroth, do you mind if I take on one of these other heroes before you have your match with Torchic? I feel like fighting someone else."

Venipede trembled, his eyes wide with terror as Mantima closed her eyes, thinking, 'Please don't say yes,' as the sloth smirked and replied, "You know what? I don't see why not. Besides, if we can defeat all of these heroes instead of just two, we'll be even more famous."

The orb cluster nodded as the crowd was interested to see who he would pick, though their hope had certainly dropped. If the daughter of the world champion could not defeat this guy, how could any of her friends even hope to stand a chance?

After a few seconds, Voltorb pointed at Mantima and said, "I pick you," the mantis' eyes wide with shock as the crowd stared, Venipede breathing a sigh of relief.

However, his relief turned to concern when he noticed Mantima tense up, her body trembling as she uttered, "Are-are you sure you want to fight me?" Voltorb nodding and replying, "Yeah. I'm at least familiar with Blaziken and I assume that bug next to you is related to the mighty Scolipede, but I've never heard of a praying mantis hero before. As such, I wanna see what you have in store for me."

Mantima was unsure how to react to this as Torchic gave her a smile and nodded, saying, "I'm sure you can do it. After all, you wanted a crack at this, right?"

The mantis took a deep breath and replied, "Right, of course," before rising to her feet as Nori stated, "And there you have it, folks. This newcomer to the world of heroes will now fight in her ally's place. Let's hope she has what it takes to finish what Machop started."

'I really hope so,' Yuki thought as she trembled, 'That was just painful to watch. I never knew these fights could be so brutal.'

As Mantima headed off to prepare for her match, she started to breathe heavily as she pulled out a cellphone seemingly out of nowhere. She then dialled a few numbers and thought, 'Mother did say only to do this during an emergency, and this is definitely an emergency.'

With that in mind, the mantis pressed the phone up to the side of her head and waited until she got an answer, a woman's voice saying, "Hello, or rather guten nachmittag," Mantima chuckling and replying, "Mom, it's fine. You don't need to speak German when addressing me. I stopped using it regularly months ago."

"Sorry about that," the woman on the other line replied as Mantima asked, "Hey, is Mother there?" the woman replying, "No, she's working the late shift tonight. Why? Do you need both of us?"

"Nothing like that," Mantima replied with a sigh, "It's just, well, I graduated earlier today and I'm just about to start my debut match on Earth."

For the next few seconds, the mantis received nothing but silence. She started to wonder if her mom was still there until she said, "Sorry, it's just, that is a lot to take in. Heck, your other mom didn't fight her first villain until a few days after graduation."

"You mean the one who snuck into that tournament, right?" Mantima asked as the woman replied, "Exactly. Though at least you know your opponent is a villain and hopefully you won't meet the same fate as her. Or do you think you will?"

"That's just it," Mantima replied with a sigh, "First off, out of all the graduates on Hero Planet, it took me the longest to defeat my opponent. As you know, my strength isn't quite on the level of that of the others for, well, obvious reasons, but also, the one I'm just about to fight beat Machop really easily."

"Wait, what!?" her mother retorted as Mantima could hear heavy breathing. Just like the audience, she was having just as much trouble taking this in as she uttered, "Oh god, I'm not sure whether I should tell Machoke and Gardevoir about this or not. They'd probably flip."

"Be honest, do you think I'm ready for this?" Mantima asked as the woman took a deep breath and stated, "From the skills you showed me before you left for Hero School, the fact that you trained really hard for five years prior combined with the fact that you graduated tells me that you are, but whether or not you choose to enter that ring today is your choice."

Mantima's eyes widened as the woman added, "Your grandma always gave your other mom the choice to follow her own path if she ever wanted to. Heck, when she revealed that she was a lesbian and, well, that she fell in love with me, it took Grandma a mere second to ultimately accept it. And, well, I want you to have your own choices in life as well."

"But if I run away, it'll be disgraceful!" Mantima retorted, "That villain wants to fight me and no one else!" as her mother sighed, "Wait, how many of you are protecting your respective area? I mean, you told me about Machop already, and from what you've told me, she's in no condition to continue, right?"

"Yeah, that's true," Mantima replied, "There's four of us. The others are Venipede and Torchic," the woman replying, "So Blaziken's daughter is one of them. Well, do you think those two might be capable of stopping this threat?"

"Well, there are two villains in total," Mantima replied, "I'm sure Torchic could probably hold her own, but I'm not so sure about Venipede. He strikes me as a nervous wreck."

The woman understood perfectly as she sighed, "Yeah, I hate to say it, but fighting this opponent might be the best option. Or maybe you could give that Venipede a pep talk to help him out. Either way, if you wish to drop out, there is no shame in that. After all, your other mom only fought alongside two other heroes and they were all fine."

Mantima took a deep breath and said, "You know what? I'll try this. I'm gonna go into that ring and do my best. If I don't feel like this was the right choice, I'll quit and call you up, okay?" her mom replying, "Alright. No matter what you do, always remember, your moms are proud of you."

Mantima felt at ease now as she said, "I love you, Mom. Danke," before hanging up and putting on a more serious look. She knew this would be much harder than her fight with Ninetales but there was no way she would back down, not when she had come this far.

During this time, Machop was resting on a bench with a blanket covering her up, Torchic and Venipede now seated next to her as her chicken friend smiled and said, "Don't worry, Machop. Mantima will win this for us, I just know it."

And with that, the waiting time was up as Nori turned to Yuki, asking, "Do you wanna head home now? This might not end any time soon."

"Actually," Yuki replied, "I wanna see how this plays out. We're talking about the fate of Tokyo here," her mother nodding and sporting a neutral look, though deep down, she was really happy to hear this.

With that in mind, Nori cleared her throat and exclaimed, "Ladies and gentlemen, the wait is up and it's finally time for the second match of the day! Can this newcomer make up for her ally's fall or can she rise up and finish what she started?"

Voltorb implied a smirk with his eyes and said, "I'm looking forward to this," Vigoroth nodding and replying, "Don't forget, I still get the chicken," the cluster of orbs rolling his eyes and remarking, "Yeah, yeah, I know. Don't get your fur in a knot."

With that, Nori stated, "Once again in the red corner, representing the villains is an electric monster in the ring! He has barely shown us a thing and has already made it known just how much of a threat he is! I once again bring you Voltorb!" the crowd not even sure whether to boo him at this point or not. They were too scared of what he might do if they tried.

"And in the blue corner is a mysterious fighter with no known background," Nori stated, "Hopefully, she'll bring just the right skills to the table. I introduce Mantima!"

The crowd cheered as the mantis stood by the entrance and took a deep breath. She figured perhaps giving an entrance similar to that of her mother would help motivate her to try harder. As such, she sprinted toward the ring before leaping high into the air, aiming to land on the top rope.

However, she found herself unable to get enough height as her ankles bumped into the material. As such, she wound up tripping and falling forward, landing flat on her face while the crowd could not help but laugh.

Mantima looked beyond embarrassed as Nori thought, 'That was more like something Machoke would have done,' as Torchic uttered, "You okay?"

Mantima had a nervous look on her face but decided this meant nothing as she took a deep breath, pushing herself up and saying, "Yes, I'm fine. Thanks for your concern."

Voltorb and Vigoroth applauded her, the orb cluster exclaiming, "Oh, that was great! Upon first glance, you seemed like a boring person, but it's good to know you have a sense of humour."

"That wasn't intentional!" the mantis growled as she clenched her fists, "Look, just focus on the fight! By the time we're done, you'll regret ever coming to this city!" the crowd now fully invested as their laughter came to a halt. Despite that missed opportunity for a cool entrance, Mantima was completely serious about this.

"Is she gonna be okay?" Venipede uttered, "It looks like that mishap has gotten to her more than she's letting on," as Torchic sighed, "You saw how she handled herself against Ninetales. I'm sure she can do this."

"Have you already forgotten what happened to Machop?" the centipede retorted before turning his gaze toward the unconscious girl, "If she's not careful, the same thing will happen to her."

"That's why we gotta give her our full support," Torchic replied with a serious look in her eyes, "This isn't like training anymore. If we back down, we'll have failed as heroes. But if Mantima loses, you'll have to take her place. You know that, right?"

Venipede nodded and gulped, "Yeah, I know," though deep down, he was praying that it would not go that far.

And with all said and done, Voltorb and Mantima stood on their own sides of the ring as Nori said, "Well, it seems the fighters are ready. As such, I say we get this match underway!" before ringing the bell thus signalling the start of the match.


	4. Chapter 4

This was it. Mantima was finally going to prove herself or at least go down trying. She was not even completely sure if she could win this match, but after coming so far, she could not back down, not when actual lives were at stake.

As such, she held up a defensive stance and thought, 'Mother would have thought more logically about this. If I want to stand a chance against this guy, I'll need to avoid that Electric Grenade ability of his.'

However, Voltorb saw this as a perfect opportunity as he implied a wicked smirk and asked, "So, you just gonna stand there for the whole match? I thought you said you were going to take me down," the mantis staring in confusion as he continued, "At the very least, Machop had the balls to come at me. You, however, seem unwilling to so much as try."

Torchic gritted her teeth and growled, "Is he doing what I think he's doing?" as Venipede gulped, "I hope she doesn't fall for that."

Unfortunately, it was just as they feared as Mantima frowned and said, "Alright, but don't forget, you asked for this," the mantis charging toward the cluster of orbs.

As long as she used strategy, she could still land the first hit and thus she leapt forward, figuring Voltorb might try his Electric Grenade again. However, it seemed he had other plans in mind as he said, "Gotcha," as his hand orbs separated from his arms, planting themselves hard into Mantima's chest.

She seemed to feel even worse pain from this than any hero would have as Voltorb exclaimed, "ELECTRIC BOMB!" electricity shooting from the orbs and surrounding them as Mantima took in a big electric shock, crying out in pain as she coughed up smoke.

The crowd stared in horror as she fell hard on her back, breathing heavily and thinking, 'Oh my god, I'm still alive! I should probably just quit now! I've gone way over my head!' but it seemed Voltorb had more planned as he said, "You're an even bigger disappointment than Machop."

With that, the cluster leapt high above the ring and rolled up into a ball, forming the giant orb that had defeated Machop as Torchic spat, "OH MY GOD! MANTIMA, MOVE!" Nori exclaiming, "And it would seem this could very well be the shortest match in ages! From just one hit, Mantima's suffered horrible pain and is already set up for Voltorb's strongest technique!"

"Come on, don't let this be it!" Venipede cried out, tears welling up in his eyes as Voltorb's body was covered in electricity, the cluster shouting, "ELECTRO METEOR!"

But as he descended, Mantima's eyes widened as she thought, 'No, I can't let it end like this!' mustering up just enough strength to roll out of the way, Voltorb hitting the mat hard as a big explosion surrounded the area.

Luckily, Mantima had avoided the move just in time as Voltorb reverted back to his normal state, turning and noticing her slowly rising to her feet. She breathed heavily as she thought, 'That's right. I didn't train for five years and build up a resistance to things like lightning just to be taken down so easily! This isn't some practice match that I can get out of if I please! This is serious!'

The crowd went wild as Yuki breathed a sigh of relief, Nori saying, "And while it seemed to take a lot to pull it off, Mantima has evaded defeat, but just barely. Hopefully she can make up for the damage dealt earlier."

"I fully intend to!" the mantis replied with a serious look in her eyes, Voltorb staring at her with fear in his eyes.

This was the first time he had ever felt this way during a match. This opponent had done nothing to him so far and had only been in the ring for a minute and yet she already gave off an intimidating vibe.

Before he could snap out of his trance, Mantima charged toward him and sent a hard punch into his forehead. The crowd went wild as she followed it up with a roundhouse to the cluster's side. And to top it all off, she proceeded to wrap her arms around Voltorb and lean backward, planting his skull hard into the mat, quickly releasing her hold and allowing him to collapse.

The cheers were even louder as Torchic exclaimed, "YEAH! YOU GO, GIRL!" Venipede breathing a sigh of relief as Nori stated, "And Mantima makes up for the damage dealt earlier with a couple of good hits followed by a German suplex!"

Vigoroth stared at this with her eyes and mouth wide open as she slapped her paws against the side of the mat, barking, "What are you doing, Voltorb!? You just let her hit you back there!" the cluster groaning and rubbing his head, grunting, "You're right. I don't know what came over me."

He would need to act fast, though, as Mantima refused to give him a chance to hit her again. Unfortunately, he was ready this time as he allowed his left foot to roll toward the mantis.

Before it could form electricity, Mantima leapt over it as Voltorb unleashed his hands again. Luckily, she was ready this time as she held her hands out, grabbing the incoming orbs with the intent of throwing them into their owner before they could spark.

But before she could do that, Voltorb seemed ready for this as he said, "When plan B fails, always have a plan C," crouching down as electricity surrounded his head. And before Mantima could respond, the cluster of orbs propelled himself up toward her, ramming his skull into her gut and shouting, "ELECTRO BALL!"

The crowd was truly terrified now as the hand and foot orbs released sparks of electricity, adding to the pain. Mantima cried out in pain and felt lucky that her heart had not stopped as a result of this. As if that was not enough, Voltorb refused to let it end there as he latched onto the mantis, flipping her upside-down and holding her head in place with his knees, sending her skull hard into the mat with a tombstone piledriver.

Torchic and Venipede stared in stunned silence as Voltorb released his hold, allowing the mantis to collapse. Needless to say, after taking in an onslaught like that, it would take a true miracle for her to recover as Nori stated what had just happened to the crowd.

All went silent among the crowd as Voltorb looked down at his opponent, sighing, "You were barely worth my time and energy. I expected a challenge, but you know what? For as disappointing as Machop was, she was able to handle the worst of pain and that suplex actually hurt."

Everyone stared in confusion as Torchic uttered, "Is he implying-" as the cluster continued, "When I saw you, I thought you had potential, but those three hits you dealt to me were weak. Sure, they had an effect, but they were nowhere near as powerful as they could have been. Come to think of it-"

With that, the crowd gasped when Voltorb knelt down and reached for Mantima's face, Vigoroth asking, "What are you doing?" the cluster replying, "I'm checking out a theory of mine. If I'm right, chances are she's probably dead right now anyway."

But just as his hand orb was about to touch Mantima, her eyes widened as she quickly threw her arms up, clasping Voltorb's wrist with her hands. Before the cluster could even respond, the mantis threw her legs upward, latching them onto his shoulder. The crowd could not believe what they were seeing as she leaning her head back against the mat and used it to propel herself upward, pulling Voltorb with her.

The cluster's eyes widened, Vigoroth's jaw dropped as Mantima slammed Voltorb hard on his back. However, she knew she could not maintain her hold on his arm as she knew what would likely happen and thus, she released her hold and planted her elbow hard into his chest.

Like before, Voltorb did not feel as much pain from this as he should have, but it still had an effect as the mantis lifted him up. She would not give him another chance to fight back and thus she placed his back up against her shoulder as the crowd stared in wonder, though it did seem to cause her a bit of strain to pull this off.

'Dammit, he's a lot heavier than Ninetales,' she thought as Torchic clapped her talons together, shouting, "YEAH! THAT'S HOW IT'S DONE!" Venipede adding, "Come on, don't give him time to recover!"

'But how-?' Vigoroth thought, 'I don't know how, but I can tell his theory is correct, so how is she able to pull this off?'

The crowd cheered even louder as Mantima took a deep breath and leapt up slightly, leaning backward and shouting, "FLYING HAMMER!" planting Voltorb's head hard against the mat.

"Oh my god!" Nori exclaimed, Yuki truly amazed, "Not only has Mantima made an incredible recovery, but she just landed Scyther's legendary Flying Hammer! Granted, she didn't leap as high off the mat as the German insect normally would, but that was definitely the same move!"

"Wait, that move was invented by the Scyther?" Venipede uttered as Torchic tapped her chin with a talon and replied, "You'd think I would have known that, especially since my mother and Scyther are really good friends."

She then thought, 'Though there's no way Mantima could be who I think she is. Is she?'

All the while, the mantis breathed heavily and thought, 'It was tough, but I did it. I won my first fight on Earth. And I even managed to resist multiple electric shocks. Maybe I do have what it takes to fight evil.'

But just as Nori was about to announce the mantis' victory, her eyes widened along with those of the rest of the crowd when Voltorb's body started to twitch, the cluster of orbs rising to his feet. He let out many deep breaths with a look of irritation in his eyes, Vigoroth sighing with relief and smirking. She should have known that would not be enough to finish him off.

Mantima slowly turned with fear in her eyes, thinking, 'No! Why couldn't you stay down!?' as Voltorb stated, "Well, there's no doubt in my mind that you are definitely what you appear to be! But don't think for a minute that I'm gonna fall so easily!"

With that in mind, the cluster proceeded to throw a punch at the mantis only for her to dodge the incoming strike, latching onto his arm with one hand and ramming her free elbow into his face. Voltorb grimaced and attempted to strike her with a kick only for Mantima to act first and kick him in the shin, stopping his attack.

Just as he was about to attempt his Electric Grenade, the mantis saw this coming and leapt backward. And when he fired his hands toward her a third time, she took hold of them and immediately threw them into the cluster's face. Needless to say, she was on her A game now and did not wish to let herself succumb to another move.

Voltorb rubbed his face and growled, "How are you doing this!?" as Mantima took a deep breath and remarked, "I was taught how to strategize by a tactical expert. After seeing enough of your moves in action, I now know how to avoid them! You were a major threat before, but now you're nothing more than target practice, which is fitting because your colours match that of a target."

The crowd went wild as Nori exclaimed, "Mantima's not kidding, folks! After a horrible first impression, she is on a roll and does not seem to show any signs of stopping!" Yuki uttering, "She's so cool. Her moves are so much more simple and yet she's doing an amazing job."

"Yeah, those are heroes for you," Nori replied with a light smile, "Human wrestlers can be pretty amazing, but they don't hold a candle to those who fight evil for a living."

However, it seemed that Voltorb would not accept this as he sighed, "Vigoroth, I hope you have what it takes to defeat those last two on your own," the sloth retorting, "What do you mean!?"

The cluster implied a smile with his eyes and replied, "I'm gonna make the ultimate sacrifice just to even the playing field," Vigoroth's eyes and mouth wide open as she spat, "Wait, you can't!"

The cluster shook his head and remarked, "Don't be so over-dramatic. You know this move doesn't actually kill me. It just leaves me out of commission for a day or two."

"Wait, what's he talking about?" Torchic uttered, but she did not wish to know as she snapped, "MANTIMA, LOOK OUT!"

The mantis nodded as she held her ground, waiting for the cluster to strike. And as he lunged at her, she immediately dodged to the right only for Voltorb to stop himself from moving further. He then quickly shifted behind the mantis and leapt up onto her back, latching his arms and legs around her with an implied smirk.

"What!?" Mantima gasped, her eyes wide with fear as Voltorb said, "I can see electricity isn't quite going to cut it with you, and if I can't beat you normally, I'll just have to settle for this match ending in a tie."

"Wait, what?" Mantima reiterated as Venipede trembled and uttered, "I don't like the sound of that."

And it seemed the centipede's fears were justified as Voltorb said, "Explosion," the halves of his head separating from one-another, now attached to what looked like a big digital clock with the number twenty on it.

"Wait, what's going on?" Mantima uttered as the number lowered to nineteen, Torchic shouting, "HE'S GOING TO EXPLODE!" Vigoroth blinking and saying, "Well, that saves me a whole explanation."

Nori gasped as she uttered, "It seems that Voltorb has turned himself into a bomb. We might want to evacuate," only for Vigoroth to hold out her arm and say, "No, it's okay. The explosion is small enough that it can only effect the area closest to him, meaning only Mantima can possibly take in damage from this. The rest of you will be fine."

While the people felt a bit safer, there was no doubt Mantima would need to get out of this hold as soon as possible, but Voltorb's grip was tight. In fact, it was so strong that the mantis could not even struggle as she breathed heavily, the counter now down to ten.

Torchic was unsure of what to say at this point while the rest of the crowd braced themselves. But just as all seemed lost, Mantima had an idea as she took a deep breath, gritting her teeth as a serious look formed in her eyes.

With only five seconds left, she would need to make this count as she used all her might to leap as high as she could into the air, leaning backward. She then headed toward the turnbuckle as the counter went down to three, the mantis now close enough to ram the back of Voltorb's head hard against the pole. This managed to deal just enough damage as he loosened his hold, Mantima leaping away from him just as the counter reached zero.

With that, all of the orbs glowed before a big explosion surrounded Voltorb. Everyone stared as it was just as Vigoroth said. The explosion may have been big, but it was only enough to cover the cluster's general area.

Mantima turned and stared in stunned silence, breathing heavily as Voltorb had a blank look in his eyes, falling hard on his back with his arms and legs spread out, his body now pitch-black. No one even knew how to react to this, Vigoroth clutching onto the sides of her head with a look of discontent. She knew this was a bad idea yet he seemed so sure of himself.

There was no doubt, though, that the match was over as Nori rang the bell, exclaiming, "And after a very intense match, our winner is Mantima!" the crowd going wild as the mantis continued to stare blankly at her opponent, gulping hard.

She could not accept this applause. As much as it pained her, she did not earn this victory. Voltorb had defeated himself.

Even so, Vigoroth was more than ready to finish what he had started as she pointed at Mantima, grunting, "You got lucky, but mark my words, after I defeat your friend over there, you're next!" the mantis trembling all over.

However, Torchic and Venipede did not seem to share their ally's thoughts as they applauded her, Torchic exclaiming, "WAY TO GO, MANTIMA! YOU'RE AMAZING!" Venipede nodding and adding, "I knew you could do it!"

Mantima took a deep breath and thought, 'Well, I did survive the match. Maybe if I keep training, I can earn my next victory. The fact that my training has allowed me the strength to resist electric shocks is proof that I'm ready for this.'

With that in mind, the mantis turned toward the Torchic and uttered, "Alright, Torchic, you're up. I can't handle another fight of that magnitude," the chicken smirking and nodding her head, replying, "Yeah. I'll make sure to end this for good."

Vigoroth frowned and grunted, "Yeah, right! Your friend's victory was a fluke! You won't be so lucky! There's no way in Hell I'm gonna lose to someone with no arms!"

Just like before, hearing these words filled Torchic with rage that she hardly ever felt, the chicken fuming at the head. But just as she was tempted to start the match right here and now before the two entered the ring, Venipede spoke up and said, "Do your best, Torchic," the chicken calming down and replying, "Yeah, I will."

With all said and done, the chicken headed to the back to prepare herself, Vigoroth frowning and thinking, 'I may as well do the same. If a weakling like Mantima can bring Voltorb to such extremes, who's to say she won't be a major threat as well?'

Though Torchic would certainly need to win this. Neither Machoke nor Mantima were in any condition to face anyone else today and Venipede was still not sure if he was ready to take on a true villain yet.

With that in mind, the chicken was in the back readying herself. She sat on a bench in the back room and took a deep breath, thinking, 'Alright, Mom, I'm gonna do you proud. If you can defeat a golem snake six times your size, I can defeat a sloth easily.'

However, she then looked down at her right shoulder, staring at it for quite some time. As much as she tried to convince herself otherwise, Vigoroth's words were really starting to get to her. Hopefully this would not hinder her performance.

Meanwhile, Vigoroth was lifting up weights, growling, "Don't you worry, Voltorb! Once I'm done, Tokyo will be ours and the world will know our names!" before taking a deep breath and thinking, 'And that includes him.'

With all said and done, the wait was finally over as Yuki was now fully invested in this, uttering, "I really hope Torchic wins," Nori nodding and replying, "Me too, honey. Me too," patting her on the shoulder.

Venipede took a deep breath and said, "I'm sure Torchic can do this," Mantima nodding while thinking, 'Yes, she has to win this,' before looking at Machop with concern.

"Well, I hope you're all ready for another exciting match!" Nori exclaimed as the crowd's excitement grew, the woman adding, "In the red corner, representing the villains and having every intention of avenging her fallen comrade, Vigoroth!"

The sloth barrelled toward the ring with fury in her expression as she leapt high into the air, landing hard against the canvas and beating her chest like a gorilla. She then let out a loud roar as the crowd trembled in horror, even Yuki unable to hide her fear.

Nori then pointed toward the Eastern entrance, exclaiming, "And in the blue corner, the daughter of Blaziken who is sure to set our hearts ablaze! Hopefully the new Texas Phoenix, Torchic!" the crowd going wild as Torchic sprinted toward the ring much like a horse would.

All the while, she thought, 'Texas Phoenix. I like the sound of that,' before leaping high into the air and landing firmly against the canvas, letting out a big battle cry and running in place.

"I'm impressed," Vigoroth stated with a smirk, "You almost look threatening," the chicken glaring at her as Venipede clapped and exclaimed, "Good show, Torchic! You're gonna be awesome, I just know it!"

The chicken turned toward her friend and gave him a light smile. She fully intended on winning this match as Vigoroth gave her a serious look. Needless to say, this would not be easy.


	5. Chapter 5

Torchic and Vigoroth were both more than ready for their match as Nori nodded and said, "Well, it seems the combatants are set. As such, I think it's time to begin-" only for Yuki to cut in and ask, "Hey, Mom, may I ring the bell this time?"

The older woman turned and stared at her daughter, her eyes sparkling as the younger woman groaned, "Please don't give me that look," as Nori chuckled and said, "Here you go," handing her the mallet.

Torchic stared Vigoroth down as the sloth smirked and waved her hand toward herself as is to tell the chicken to come at her. And soon enough, the bell was rung as Torchic raced toward her opponent.

Vigoroth felt more than ready until Torchic leapt high above her, planting a talon into her forehead before sending the other into the same spot. This caused the sloth quite a bit of pain as the chicken leapt back with a grin, the crowd going wild.

Before Vigoroth could respond, Torchic propelled herself off the mat toward her with her foot out. She then spun around and sent it hard into her cheek while the crowd cheered even louder, the sloth backing up and rubbing that very spot.

"And Torchic is off to a good start!" Nori exclaimed with a grin, "She has already managed to land three powerful kicks while Vigoroth is unable to respond!"

The sloth growled and thought, 'Don't think for a minute that you've got the drop on me just yet. I'll show you just how strong I can be,' as Torchic hopped back and forth on one foot, asking, "What is this? I came into this match expecting a challenge."

'Oh, you'll get it soon enough,' Vigoroth thought as Venipede took a deep breath and said, "Well, so far so good, eh?"

Mantima narrowed her eyelids and replied, "Don't count your chickens before they hatch. I get the feeling there's more to this than meets the eye."

This would be made clear soon when Vigoroth let out a loud roar and charged toward Torchic, the chicken readying herself to counter. But just as she was about to do so, the sloth dodged to the right and swung her arm out, using her claws to put two cuts in her side. Torchic winced in pain but tried her best to ignore this as blood flew out of that very spot.

"And with a fierce scratch, Vigoroth has managed to draw blood," Nori stated as the sloth proceeded to spin toward Torchic from behind, shouting, "FURY SWIPES!" sending an onslaught of scratches into her back.

Now the chicken could no longer pretend this did not hurt as she cried out in pain, Venipede shouting, "TORCHIC!" as Mantima trembled.

However, the chicken refused to allow this to continue as after ten slashes, she noticed a half-second time gap between each strike. Thus after taking in the eleventh, she proceeded to leap up with her legs spread out and latched them onto the incoming arm.

"What!?" Vigoroth grunted as Torchic used all her might to pull her down, slamming her on her back while still clinging to her arm.

The crowd went wild as the chicken started to twist that very spot as well, Yuki uttering, "Wow, she managed to catch her off guard just like that," Nori nodding and replying, "Yeah, these fights can be very unpredictable. But you've already seen the proof of that so far, haven't you?" the daughter nodding.

But while Vigoroth clearly felt pain at first, it seemed to fade as she smirked and asked, "You call this a submission hold?"

Torchic blinked and retorted, "What!?" as the sloth chuckled and added, "I can barely feel a thing right now. If anything, it feels more like a massage."

After a few seconds, Torchic seemed to calm down as she smirked and remarked, "You're just saying that to get under my skin. Well, it's not gonna work," as Venipede breathed a sigh of relief, saying, "For the second there, I thought Vigoroth was telling the truth," Mantima uttering, "I don't think that was a complete lie."

The centipede gave his friend an awkward look when Vigoroth sighed and stated, "Just keep telling yourself that, but let's face it, this is nothing to write home about. It would probably have some kind of an effect if you had arms, but since all you can use are your legs, it barely even qualifies as a hold."

Just like before, this seemed to strike a nerve as Torchic gritted her teeth, a vein forming on the side of her head. Venipede stared at this with concern as Mantima thought, 'Oh no, I think I know what Vigoroth is trying to do.'

With that in mind, the mantis rose to her feet and spat, "TORCHIC, DON'T LISTEN TO HER!" Vigoroth retorting, "Yeah, don't listen to logic and reason! Your mother was amazing, but she had arms to help her use her best moves! Without those, you're nothing more than a pale imitation!"

Torchic was fuming now, steam shooting out of her beak. It seemed that it was just as Mantima and Venipede feared as the chicken snapped, "I'LL SHOW YOU THAT I DON'T NEED ARMS! I CAN BE JUST AS AWESOME AS MY MOM!"

With that, she opened her beak and leaned her head forward, attempting to bite down onto Vigoroth's claws. However, it seemed she was unable to get close enough, thus she attempted to shift her feet upward so she could bend her body forward.

Unfortunately, all this did was loosen her hold as Vigoroth smirked and said, "Gotcha," before lifting her arm up and slamming the chicken's back hard against the mat. This was just enough to cause Torchic to release her hold as the sloth rose to her feet, the crowd mortified as she proceeded to sit on top of the chicken, raising her right paw, clenching her claws into a fist and sending them hard into her opponent's forehead.

"Oh no, this is horrible!" Venipede groaned, "Why did she have to let that get to her!?" as Machop's fingers started to twitch. It seemed the girl was finally starting to recover, but not enough to make a full recovery.

It did not end there as Vigoroth proceeded to send even more punches to Torchic's face, shouting, "YEAH, YOU SEE HOW GREAT ARMS ARE!? IF I DIDN'T HAVE THESE BABIES, I WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO DO THIS!" Torchic attempting to free herself but to no avail as her forehead started to come open.

"And Torchic is a sitting duck while Vigoroth unleashes an onslaught of punches upon her," Nori stated, "If she can't get out of this predicament soon, she'll end up meeting the same fate of Machop."

This was too painful to watch as Torchic continued to take in more and more punches, Vigoroth grunting, "You may as well just give up! Admit it, you never stood a chance!" the chicken now attempting to nip at her paws each time they came close but failing to do so as the sloth saw this coming a mile away.

But just as all seemed lost, Torchic's eyes shot wide open when a familiar voice snapped, "HEY, TORCHIC, WHAT THE HELL IS THIS!?" the chicken slowly turning her head to see that Machop had finally woken up, though right now she only had enough strength to sit.

Venipede and Mantima were equally shocked as they had been too focused on the match to notice until now. The rest of the crowd seemed shocked as well, Vigoroth raising an eyebrow and thinking, 'Well, she recovered faster than expected.'

"Machop?" Torchic uttered as the girl exclaimed, "I finally wake up to see you getting your ass kicked!? What the hell!? I thought you were better than that!"

Vigoroth gritted her teeth and thought, 'Alright, I'd better knock her out before she gets any advice,' sending another hard punch to the chicken's forehead. However, upon hearing Machop's words, it seemed that Torchic was now able to ignore the pain as she sighed, "I appreciate the sentiment, Machop, but I can't win this. Vigoroth's right. My mom was awesome back in the day, but she had arms. Without those, I'm a loser."

Upon hearing this, Vigoroth smirked and said, "Good to know you've realized the truth," before getting up and picking Torchic up by her crest, "I guess I may as well finish you off in a dignified manner."

But just as the sloth was ready to do so, Machop spat, "Where is this bullshit coming from!?" Torchic staring as even Venipede and Mantima were unsure whether Machop was right or not, "Did you forget what you told me shortly after we first met!?"

The chicken's eyes widened as she remembered it clear as day now, the first day in hero school. She and Machop had immediately formed a connection due to their parents being such good friends themselves. And shortly after their first day of training, the two had a conversation with each other.

"I still can't believe your dad was the one who saved the world twice," Torchic said as Machop grinned and replied, "Yeah, one day that's gonna be me," before flexing her muscles.

Torchic chuckled as the girl then took a good look at her shoulders and asked, "Say, I hope you don't mind me asking, but is there a reason you don't have arms?" Torchic blinking and replying, "Yeah. I lost them in an accident. I prefer not to go into detail on that."

Machop nodded as she said, "And yet you still want to be a hero," Torchic nodding and grinning as she replied, "You bet! Even without arms, I can still be awesome!"

Back in present time, Torchic took a deep breath and replied, "You're right," as Machop added, "Besides, have you forgotten the stories about your mom and how she won her matches!? Almost every single victory was obtained with her feet!"

Torchic's eyes widened as she uttered, "That's right," Vigoroth growling, "Are you done with your smalltalk!?" before swinging her body around, pulling Torchic with her and adding, "What can you possibly do to defeat me!?"

"This!" Torchic retorted before lifting up her feet as they caught flame, the crowd staring in wonder as the chicken sent them both hard into Vigoroth's side, shouting, "BLAZE KICK!"

The crowd went wild as Vigoroth coughed up blood, her eyes and mouth wide open as she released her hold on Torchic. She then fell hard on his side as the chicken leapt away from her, breathing heavily before turning to face Machop and shooting her a grin. The girl nodded and gave her a thumb up while Mantima and Venipede both breathed simultaneous sighs of relief.

"There's something we haven't seen in ages!" Nori exclaimed as Yuki nodded and uttered, "That was so cool," the older woman adding, "Torchic has just used the legendary Blaze Kick to take her opponent down. For those who don't know, this is a staple of her family and one that Blaziken used to end many of her matches. Let's see if it'll have the same effect on Vigoroth."

However, while it had certainly been effective, it seemed it had not quite finished the job as Vigoroth planted her paws against the mat and slowly pushed herself up. The crowd gasped as Venipede rubbed the sides of his head, groaning, "Aw, come on! Why couldn't that have been enough!?"

"Relax," Mantima replied with a light smile, "Now that her head's back in the game, I'm sure she can make up for the damage dealt earlier," Machop nodding and saying, "Damn straight. Torchic's awesome."

The mantis then turned to her and said, "By the way, sorry, but I fought Voltorb while you were out cold," Machop blinking as Venipede added, "She also won," as Mantima uttered, "Well, technically-"

However, she was cut off when Machop grinned and squealed, "That's awesome!" as the mantis blinked and asked, "You mean you're not mad that I took the victory you wanted?" the girl shrugging and asking, "Why would I be mad?"

But while she was not mad, a part of her was certainly envious. She had been so certain that she could defeat Voltorb just like her father had done to Rotom and yet not only had she lost, but an ally she knew was physically weaker than her had managed the exact opposite.

Vigoroth breathed heavily and thought, 'So that's the legendary Blaze Kick. I have to admit, it's as powerful as I thought, but there's no way I'll let it get me down.'

With that in mind, the sloth charged toward Torchic with her arms folded only for the chicken to leap to the right, sending a roundhouse into her opponent's cheek. The crowd cheered wildly as she then landed and swept her leg under Vigoroth's ankle, causing her to fall on her back. She then performed a vertical flip toward the sloth and sent an axe kick into her gut.

The crowd cheered even louder as Nori exclaimed, "It seems after escaping from Vigoroth's onslaught earlier, Torchic is on the roll!" but that would soon change when Vigoroth took hold of her ankle, grunting, "Big mistake!"

Torchic's eyes widened as Vigoroth pulled on her ankle, causing her to fall on her back. The sloth then proceeded to rise up to her feet, using enough force to flip Torchic onto her belly before twisting her ankle, grunting, "This is a real submission hold!"

Torchic cried out in pain as Machop spat, "COME ON, TORCHIC, FIGHT IT!" the chicken nodding as she lifted up her free leg, sending her talon into Vigoroth's shin.

However, she ignored this until Torchic bound her toes around her ankle, her eyes widening as the chicken provided enough force to cause her to trip. As a result, the sloth released her hold on the chicken's ankle and fell on her back, the crowd cheering as Torchic rose to her feet.

"No!" Vigoroth grunted with her teeth gritted, "How are you so strong!?" Torchic smirking and remarking, "It's because I was raised in a barn! I've spent many a day doing hard, physical labour and as such, I've been able to build up all kinds of muscle! And without arms to worry about, I was able to put an incredible amount of focus into strengthening my legs, so I wouldn't be surprised if they were actually stronger than my mom's!"

"Yeah, tell it like it is!" Machop exclaimed as Vigoroth's eye twitched, the sloth barking, "YOU WON'T BE SO SMUG WHEN I'M THROUGH WITH YOU!"

With that, she rose to her feet and lunged at Torchic with her arms spread out only for the chicken to light her right foot on fire, sending it hard into her midsection and shouting, "BLAZE KICK JUNIOR!"

This cause Vigoroth to fall on her back while the crowd went wild, Nori saying, "And Torchic just continues to counter Vigoroth as she has now used a different version of her family's signature move."

Unfortunately, Vigoroth was not done for yet as she quickly rose to her feet, charging toward Torchic once more. But just as the chicken felt ready, she was shocked when the sloth leapt over her head, landing behind her. She then swung her arm back and sent it into the side of her head. And it did not end there as Vigoroth reached her arms out, taking hold of Torchic's shoulders, piercing her flesh with her claws.

The crowd winced at the sight of this as Venipede groaned, "Come on!" Mantima and Machop cheering for Torchic only for Vigoroth to lift her up and lean backward, shouting, "SLOTH SUPLEX!" slamming her skull hard into the canvas.

Torchic coughed up blood as Vigoroth allowed her to collapse. And thus the chicken no longer seemed to be able to move as Nori uttered, "It would seem as if Torchic may have finally met her limit."

"NO!" Machop spat, "COME ON, GET UP!" Venipede whimpering, "Please! I don't wanna face this psycho!" as Mantima cupped her hands together and prayed for the best.

Vigoroth stared down at Torchic, breathing heavily before smirking and asking, "Did you see that, Dad? You always told me my whole life that we sloths were never meant to fight, but I just proved you wrong. You and everyone else in the family, you're all losers, but I'm a winner."

At that moment, Torchic slowly recovered as she opened her eyes and uttered, "What are you talking about?" Vigoroth slowly turning as the chicken added, "Are you telling me your whole reason for joining the side of evil was because of a petty grudge against your father?"

The sloth stared briefly before gritting her teeth and barking, "THAT IS NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS!" before sending a punch toward her. But just as it was about to hit, Torchic lifted her legs up and took hold of her wrist, grunting, "If you wanted to prove yourself to your dad, why not use your abilities for the side of good!?"

"I always wanted to, but my dad would never allow it," Vigoroth retorted as she gritted her teeth, looking back to her childhood.

As it so happened, Vigoroth was the princess of a tribe of sloths. Her father, Slaking, was twice her size and looked more like a gorilla, even possessing fingers. Most of his fur was brown save for that around his neck and on his head, which was white. His nose was also more like that of a pig than a sloth.

One day, he was lying in a hammock while reading a newspaper, Vigoroth approaching him and exclaiming, "Dad, it's horrible! Some thieves just snuck into our garden and stole all our crops!"

Slaking blinked and replied, "Well, that's not good," slowly closing his book before adding, "Unfortunately, none of us can really stop this threat, so I'll be sure to send a message to our neighbours in Libya and see if they have someone who can help us."

"What!?" Vigoroth retorted, "You mean you're just gonna sit back and let someone else deal with those thieves!?" Slaking nodding and replying, "Yes, that is the sloth way, my dear. We do not stress ourselves or rush into things," Vigoroth shaking her head as he added, "I know that with your surprisingly high amount of energy, you wouldn't understand, but that is how we do things. If we fight back, others might fear us and we don't want that."

Vigoroth pulled down on her cheeks and groaned, "Fine, whatever. I'll go and take care of them myself!" only for Slaking to frown and remark, "No, honey. You will stay here and let those who are willing to fight handle it. You may be a princess, but I'm the king, and what I say goes."

Vigoroth shook her head and gritted her teeth, storming out of her house and retorting, "Whatever! It's your loss!" Slaking saying, "You'd better not be thinking of going off to fight those bandits."

Vigoroth turned to him and retorted, "And what are you gonna do about it, slowly pursue me!?" before turning and storming off as the king's eyes widened.

And sure enough, Vigoroth defeated the thieves with her Fury Swipes, getting back the stolen crops. But when she returned and told of her accomplishment, Slaking shook his head and sighed, "Honey, I know you meant well, but you deliberately disobeyed me. Therefor you are to spend the next few hours in your room."

Back in present time, Vigoroth gritted her teeth and used all her might to lift Torchic up, shouting, "YOU'LL NEVER UNDERSTAND WHAT IT'S LIKE TO BE FROWNED UPON FOR DOING THE RIGHT THING! YOUR PARENTS WEREN'T IDIOTS LIKE MINE!"

She then flung the chicken toward the turnbuckle as Torchic flipped her body over, planting her talons into it. The crowd and her friends cheered heavily as she leaned back, growling, "I'll admit that it was wrong for your father to stop you from doing such a thing, but that doesn't mean you should just join the side of evil! If you fight for good and help stop evil, maybe he'll see just how wrong he was!"

With that, she propelled herself off of the turnbuckle as her beak caught flame, Vigoroth throwing her arms out and striking her in the sides. However, this proved ineffective as Torchic planted her beak hard into the sloth's forehead, shouting, "FIRE PECK!"

Vigoroth's eyes and mouth were wide open as the spot that had been hit opened it, a light trickle of blood flying out. The sloth then fell on her back with her eyes rolled to the back of her head, all going silent as the crowd watched in anticipation.

"Was that it?" Venipede uttered as Mantima replied, "We'll see," Machop thinking, 'That looked good enough to me, but who knows?'

After a few more seconds, Nori nodded as she asked, "Care to do the honours, Yuki?" her daughter returning the gesture and ringing the bell, exclaiming, "And after a long and intense match, our winner is Torchic therefor Tokyo is saved!" the crowd going wild as Nori beamed and said, "Well done."

Machop took a deep breath and clapped for her friend while Venipede cheered as loud as he could, Mantima sighing with relief. Despite the odds constantly stacked against them, she and her friends had ultimately won, and while it was a close call, it still felt satisfying to receive all these cheers.

Torchic was just about to join her friends when suddenly, a voice came from behind her, grunting, "I can't believe it," the chicken slowly turning to see Vigoroth with her eyes open, though luckily she was too weak to move the rest of her body.

"Even with all my strength, even with your handicap, you still beat me," Vigoroth uttered, "It's so unfair. I wanted Dad to see me win so I could prove that my way of thinking was correct," Torchic letting out a sigh and shaking her head.

Machop slowly rose to her feet, the others surprised to see her standing already as she approached the side of the ring, asking, "Vigoroth, do you hate your dad? Was it really as bad as you said it was?" the sloth sighing, "Yes. All I wanted to do was help the kingdom. When a group of bandits stole from us, I defeated them and brought back what they took, but dad sent me to my room because, apparently, by acting violently, I ruined our kingdom's reputation."

"Your kingdom?" Machop uttered, "Are you royalty?" the sloth chuckling and replying, "Well, I certainly don't act it, do I?"

Torchic let out a sigh and replied, "You know, I'm not gonna lie, I think you have a point when you say your dad was wrong to scold you like that. If he was just worried about your safety, that would be one thing, but just because he's afraid of how others will view the kingdom? I'm not sure what I could suggest for something like that."

"Well, I still feel like I should apologize for my outburst," Vigoroth replied, "Though I don't think I'm gonna stay in the kingdom. Maybe after some time in prison, I can start fighting for the side of good instead."

With that, she closed her eyes as soon enough, police officers entered the area and bound her and the still unconscious Voltorb up with handcuffs. However, they knew better than to lock them up in a human prison and thus called up Hero Planet to take them into custody as soon as possible.

And with that, the first major problem had finally been resolved and Tokyo would be at peace for another day. Needless to say, Mantima and Torchic were both beyond satisfied to have defeated their first foes on Earth while Venipede was just glad they were alright. But just what would the future hold?


	6. Chapter 6

Note: For those wondering why Lairon doesn't have his helmet, this is actually explained in the first story.

With Voltorb and Vigoroth having been defeated, Machop and her friends could enjoy the rest of their evening in peace. As such, Torchic invited Venipede and Mantima to celebrate with them at the club. And while Mantima was initially hesitant, she felt she could use a rest from work after her match.

The group soon arrived as there were a lot more people than before, the owner giving them a round of drinks. Though this time, he made sure to ask them what they wanted, Mantima being the only one who wanted something alcoholic, specifically beer.

"You gals did an amazing job," the owner said with a grin, "If you ever wanna stop by again, drinks are always on me," Venipede nodding and replying, "Thank you, Mister, um..."

"Hansuke," the man replied, "but you can just call me owner. I'm used to people not calling me by my real name."

Machop rose an eyebrow as Torchic wanted to ask how that did not bother him in the slightest, but neither wanted to bring up anymore drama after all they had been through today. All that mattered right now was some rest and relaxation.

"So, you sure you're okay with Mantima and I doing all the work for you?" Torchic asked, "You really wanted that first victory," as Machop let out a sigh and replied, "It's alright. I just wasn't completely ready for that fight, that's all. You guys are friends. If you're gonna get the spotlight before me, so be it."

Torchic gave her friend a smile and patted her on the shoulder, saying, "Next time you get in a fight, I just know you'll win," as Venipede rose his glass and issued a toast.

With that, the friends all clinked their glasses together and took a sip of their drinks, though Machop was not completely sure how much she meant what she said. On one hand, she was happy that Torchic and Mantima had gotten their first victories on Earth. But at the same time, the fact that she lost to her first opponent was still eating away at her, like she had just brought dishonour to the family.

She then remembered that Machoke had lost one official match in his entire career. If he could suffer one loss and still keep going, so could Machop. There was no way this would get her down.

With all said and done, the group exited the club as Venipede yawned and said, "Well, I'm ready for a good night's rest. How about you?" Torchic nodding and saying, "Yeah, I'm still exhausted after that match. See you all tomorrow."

"Same here," Mantima replied as Machop nodded and waved. But once the others were headed home, the girl blinked and uttered, "Funny, I don't feel all that tired. Must be from all that rest I got after Voltorb knocked me out."

As such, she decided to go for a little stroll through Tokyo just to see some more sights. But while walking, she started to think deeply about her loss, and it was starting to sour her mood toward the whole thing again. While she had convinced herself that she was okay with this before, she was now starting to question that mentality.

Losing was one thing, but she barely stood a chance. And while she may not have seen how much damage Mantima managed to resist during her match, she got a good idea of the kind of beating Torchic endured before she won. If anything, Machop had sustained the least damage of all three heroes and yet she was the one who lost.

The girl took a deep breath and flexed her right arm only to notice that her muscles were not that impressive compared to those of her father and grandfather. Could that have been the reason? Considering the fact that Torchic and Mantima were both skinnier than her, that could not possibly be the case, could it?

With that in mind, she pulled her cellphone out of her handbag and took a deep breath, saying, "Maybe Daddy will know what's up with me," before biting her lower lip and adding, "On second thought, it's probably better that he doesn't know," putting the phone back in the bag.

Suddenly, she heard a voice come from behind her, saying, "You'd rather give him some good news, right?" the girl's eyes widening as she turned toward a man lingering in the shadows and frowned, barking, "Hey, do you mind!? I'm having a very serious conversation with myself!"

At that moment, the one who had spoken exited the shadows and entered the light, Machop's eyes going wide as she uttered, "I've heard of you."

This man was actually a dark-grey dinosaur made entirely out of steel. Along his back was silver armour that resembled small stegosaurus bones. Each of his feet and hands was rounded with three claws. He had blue eyes and a rounded scalp along with a few scars on his face.

"You're Lairon," Machop uttered, "You were Garchomp's first opponent in the twenty-second Hero Olympics," the dinosaur nodding and replying, "It's amazing how many actually remember that. I fought a lot of villains in my time, yet the match everyone remembers me for is one that I lost."

"Oh, sorry, was that personal?" Machop asked as Lairon shook his head and replied, "Oh no. That loss changed my life for the better."

He then walked over and asked, "You don't look particularly happy right now. Could it possibly be your match with Voltorb today?" Machop about to question this until he added, "Your match was broadcast everywhere. Something you'll realize is that heroes fighting villains is not something the world's gonna ignore."

"Oh, so everyone in Tokyo saw that," Machop groaned as Lairon shrugged and replied, "Maybe. I'm sure there are some people who didn't tune in for that."

"Still, it feels so unfair!" Machop groaned, folding her arms, "I've trained so hard for this moment! I've waited for this my whole life and yet not only did I lose, I lost easily! My family is known for its incredible resistance to pain and yet I lost in five minutes!"

"Yeah, that is a little strange," Lairon replied with a shrug, "But still, even if you were able to resist more pain, you still would have lost."

"What the hell are you talking about!?" Machop retorted, "Did you draw my attention just so you could insult me!?"

"No," Lairon replied, shaking his head, "I'm just speaking the truth. I could tell right from the moment that match began and you charged toward Voltorb without a second thought. That is exactly the kind of approach I used to take before I created my armour."

"Really?" Machop asked as the dinosaur nodded and explained, "I would always got into matches with the mentality that I was physically strong and that was all I needed. I faced a grand total of five opponents, and do you know how those matches ended?"

Machop shook her head and replied, "I only know about your fight with Garchomp," Lairon nodding and explaining, "Well, those matches gave me these battle scars. I lost each and every one of those matches in less than five minutes. Probably the worst was when I fought Ferrothorn."

Lairon looked back to a time many years ago when he found a cyborg with a disc-shaped head covered in spikes. Coming out of the top were three vines with green spiked balls attached to the ends. And ultimately, this was what he used to defeat the dinosaur, spinning around and smacking him multiple times in the face with an attack he called Power Whip.

And of course, all his partners could do was stand there and wait for his loss to become official so they could finish what he started. Though this was how every other match played out as well, so he was used to that.

"I lasted two minutes before suffering defeat at his hands," Lairon replied, "And it wasn't that these villains were too tough for my body to handle. No, I've always had a high resistance to pain due to my steel build."

"So how come you weren't able to beat them?" Machop asked as the dinosaur replied, "The same reason you lost today. It's because all I did was barrel into danger without thinking. It wasn't until I studied footage of my dad's old fights that I was able to see how he won so many matches. Do you know how he pulled that off?"

"How?" Machop asked as Lairon replied, "Strategy. Despite his bruiser exterior, he was a tactical genius in battle, and when I found out about that, I wanted to be just like him. And from that moment on, I seldom ever lost. And my strength had little to do with it. It was my brain that helped me in the end."

Machop's eyes sparkled as the dinosaur folded his arms and said, "Anyway, I need to head home. The missus is probably wondering why I'm not back yet."

But just as he turned, Machop held out her hand and squeaked, "Wait!" the dinosaur turning his head toward her as she sighed, "Look, I know this is probably really selfish, but I remember that my daddy had a trainer to help him improve as a fighter. I was wondering if maybe, well..."

Lairon rose an eyebrow and enquired, "Wondering what? Wondering if I have some cash? Wondering if I'll hang out with you?"

Machop took a deep breath and asked, "Will you help train me so that maybe I could be a better fighter?" Lairon grinning and replying, "I thought you'd never ask."

With that, he agreed to start the following day when both were fully rested, but for now he figured he may as well invite her into his house. Machop was not sure why she agreed to go with him as she probably should have gone to her shack first, but then again, she would have much rather spent the night in a real house than that tiny space.

And soon enough, she was led to Lairon's house as the dinosaur approached the front door and said, "Luckily for you, it's not too late, so the missus will still be up. And let me tell you, she'll be happy to meet you," Machop asking, "Really? Like, was she a big fan of Daddy?"

"Well, not a big fan, but she is an admirer of his work," Lairon replied, "In fact, she often told me that she wished she could have met him during the Hero Olympics at least once. After all, she does know his rival quite well."

Now Machop was really confused as Lairon opened the door, leading her inside. At that moment, barking could be heard as a small black collie sprinted into the room and started sniffing the dinosaur. Machop's eyes sparkled as Lairon laughed and pet the collie, saying, "Yes, Eri, it's nice to see you too," before smiling as Machop and adding, "Go on, pet her."

The girl nodded with a big smile and squealed, "Oh, I love dogs!" before kneeling down and stroking the collie, a voice with a Russian accent coming from the living room and asking, "Honey, is that you?" Lairon calling back, "Yeah! We got us a guest tonight!"

"It's not one of your drinking buddies again, is it?" the wife remarked as Lairon signalled Machop to follow him to the living room while saying, "Oh no, not this time."

With that, the two entered the room as Machop gasped at the sight of a tall dark-blue dragon with a red underbelly sitting on the couch with a book in hand. Said hands were claws as she had a long fin coming from each arm and another one on her back. Her head resembled a plane engine with a yellow star on her nose and two motor-like formations on the sides.

Machop stared in stunned silence as Lairon said, "Honey, I'd like you to meet Machop, the daughter of Machoke," the dragon grinning and saying, "Wow, I never thought I'd get to meet a member of the Mach family face-to-face."

She then noticed Machop's expression and blinked, asking, "You alright?" as the girl uttered, "Oh my god, you're Garchomp."

The dragon grinned and replied, "Always nice to meet an admirer," Machop saying, "Wow, I've heard that you two gained a friendship after your match, but I didn't think you'd be married."

Garchomp and Lairon both chuckled as the dinosaur replied, "Well, it's like that eighties song goes, what started out as friendship grew stronger," before walking over to the dragon as the two shared a brief kiss.

Soon enough, Machop was seated on an easy chair across from the couch while enjoying small talk. Garchomp decided to brew up some tea for the occasion and after a while, Machop felt right at home. Something about having a civilized conversation with two fighting legends was nice.

Currently, Eri was lying on the couch next to Garchomp as she scratched her back, Machop saying, "Wow, I think you're the only people I know who would actually allow their dog to sit on their furniture," Garchomp chuckling and replying, "Yeah, she's like our little princess. She sits wherever she wants."

Machop giggled before asking, "So what made you decide to live in Tokyo, anyway?" Lairon replying, "It was hard leaving our homes, but, well, Tokyo was where we first met. We figured spending our lives here just made sense, especially since it's such a nice place."

He then placed a hand on Garchomp's shoulder as the dragon rested her head on his, saying, "Yeah, this seemed like the perfect place to raise a child. You'd like our little Aron."

"Aron..." Machop uttered, tapping her chin and nodding, saying, "Yeah, I met him in school," Lairon blinking and asking, "Right, I already forgot how many students there were for the first semester. How's he doing?"

"I wasn't paying too much attention, but I think he was assigned to protect some place in Chile," Machop replied while scratching her head, Garchomp grinning and saying, "Well, Chile's in good hands, then," Lairon nodding.

The dinosaur then turned to his wife and said, "By the way, I hope you don't mind Machop staying in the guestroom for a while, maybe a few months, possibly a year," Machop's eyes wide with shock as Garchomp grinned and replied, "That would be perfectly fine. That room's not used for much anyway."

Machop looked back and forth at the two of them before asking, "Wait, what?" Lairon grinning and replying, "Hey, I figure if I'm gonna train you, you might as well live here. That way you won't have to walk all the way here everyday. It'll save you lots of time."

"You didn't tell me you were going to train her," Garchomp chuckled before nudging him, "Wow, my husband training a member of the Mach family. It's like being married to a male Aipom," the dragon then giving her husband a noogie as he laughed and replied, "Yeah, you always did wanna catch up with her, didn't you?"

"You knew Daddy's trainer?" Machop enquired as Garchomp nodded and replied, "Not only did she help me out in the three-legged race, but she saved my life. Everyone told me how she selflessly put herself in harm's way just to stop me from becoming a cripple or worse."

Machop tapped her chin and nodded, saying, "Oh yeah. That's right. After Lucario beat you in the semi-finals, he threw you over the edge of the ring," Garchomp nodding and adding, "That's right, but Aipom caught me and used all her might to hold me up. I never did get to thank her for that."

The dragon then looked down as Lairon patted her on the shoulder and sighed, Machop gasping, "Wait, I might be able to get her number! Hold on, I'll call up Daddy right now!" the girl pulling out her cellphone as Garchomp's eyes sparkled.

After a few seconds, she got a response as she spoke with Machoke for a while. Luckily, he did not bring up her embarrassing loss today and Machop would have much rather not gone into that herself. She might bring it up one day, but that was not the purpose of her call.

After a couple of minutes, she asked, "Hey, Daddy, what's Aipom's number?" as Machoke replied, "I'll need to check my contacts for that, but I'm not sure if I can do that while we're talking. I'll send you a text," Machop nodding and replying, "Oh yeah, that's a much better idea."

With that, she hung up as Garchomp asked, "Did you get it?" Lairon rubbing her shoulder and replying, "Patience, honey. I know this is exciting, but still."

After roughly a minute, Machop received her father's text and looked it over, nodding her head and saying, "Here you go," handing the phone over to Garchomp as she looked it over, nodding her head and writing it down on a sheet of paper.

With that, she bowed her head and said, "Thank you so much. You've really made my night," Machop bowing back as Lairon said, "Well, no doubt you'll want to talk to her in peace, so how's about I show our guest to her new room?"

Garchomp nodded and said, "Yes, it is getting rather late anyway, isn't it?" Lairon rising from his seat and signalling Machop to follow him upstairs.

The girl did so as Garchomp took a deep breath, dialling a few numbers on her cellphone. She wondered if Aipom even remembered her. After all, it had been just a little over fifteen years since the two met, and it had not exactly been under good circumstances. After all, when they did meet, Garchomp had forced the monkey to be her partner in a three-legged race.

During this time, Lairon led Machop to a simple room. In it was a nice bed, a cupboard and a chest of drawers. There was also a window pointed at the front of the house thus giving Machop a nice view of the area.

"So you're really okay with me just moving in like this?" Machop uttered as Lairon nodded and said, "Just as long as you don't enter our room late at night, if you know what I mean," winking at her as she tensed up, her cheeks bright pink.

All the while, Garchomp had been having a very nice chat with Aipom. She could not believe just how happy the monkey was to hear from her. And to think that she of all heroes had become a mother was very surprising to hear as she used to always consider herself too busy for romance.

"Well, it was very nice talking to you," Garchomp said, Aipom replying, "Same here," before suggesting, "I got an idea. Maybe the next time we're on holidays, we can meet up. It doesn't take long to get from Osaka to Tokyo by bullet train."

"You mean you'd rather be the one to come here?" Garchomp replied as the monkey said, "Yeah. If you come here, I won't have a chance to see Machop. I wanna see how she's doing. I haven't seen her since she was only one. She probably doesn't even remember me."

Garchomp nodded and asked, "So you're perfectly fine with my darling training her?" as Aipom replied, "Yeah. I'd have sent my daughter to do it like how I volunteered to train Machoke, but she's not as into that sort of thing as I am and I respect that."

"I see," Garchomp replied, "Well, I look forward to it. At the very least, I'm glad I finally got to thank you for saving my life. That really meant a lot to me."

"That's great," the monkey replied before hearing the sound of something breaking and groaning, "Oh, great, Aipa broke another vase. I need to deal with this. Thanks so much for calling," Garchomp nodding and replying, "It was my pleasure," before hanging up and chuckling.

And with all said and done, it was finally time for Machop to get some much needed sleep as she crawled under the covers of her new bed, folding her hands behind her head. She had a big smile on her face as she thought, 'Next time a villain shows up, I'll be ready.'


	7. Chapter 7

It was a fine day in Tokyo as Machop had woken up early. It was not so much for training purposes but rather so she could head to her shack and pick up what she wanted to have with her. After all, since she would live with Lairon for some time, she would need to feel at home, and while she had not brought a whole lot to the shack herself, she would have at least liked to have the old photos and a few other things with her.

Because of this, Lairon had given her a big duffel bag to carry everything in, the girl breathing in the morning air as she walked along the avenue. Sure, it would have been faster to take the bus, but she figured any excuse to exercise her feet was a good one. At the very least, it was not as if she had a reason to rush anywhere.

Upon arriving at the shack, she blinked when she noticed her friends standing there, Mantima knocking on the door and sighing, "I'm telling you, she's not home," as Venipede groaned, "But look how early in the day it is! She's not exactly the type to wake up early and go for morning jogs or something like that."

Just as Torchic was about to suggest something else, Machop laughed nervously and said, "Oh, yeah, I probably should have messaged you guys about this, huh?" the others turning and breathing sighs of relief.

"There you are!" Torchic snapped with a look of slight annoyance, "I was beginning to think you'd run away from home without telling us!" the others staring at her as Mantima uttered, "Why would she do that?"

"Look, I'm not letting my loss yesterday get to me if that's what you're thinking," Machop said reassuringly as Torchic breathed a sigh of relief and asked, "So, are you the kind of person who goes for morning jogs? Because most people don't carry bags when they jog."

"Actually, this was given to me by someone whose house I spent the night in," Machop replied with a light chuckle as the others nodded in understanding.

However, while Mantima and Venipede seemed to accept this, Torchic had a big smile on her face as her eyes sparkled, the chicken gasping, "You mean you spent the night at a boy's house!?" all going silent as Machop's cheeks turned beet red at the thought of that.

"What's his name!?" Torchic exclaimed as she raced over to her, "Is he super handsome!?" as Machop let out a sigh and placed her hand against the chicken's forehead, pushing her back a bit before saying, "It's not what you think. I'll explain everything inside."

And once inside the shack, Machop packed her bag while explaining the whole situation, the others helping her out while listening. And needless to say, this was certainly unexpected news.

"Wow, so you're gonna live with two living legends," Torchic said with a grin as Venipede uttered, "I'm so jealous! It's like you're moving in with an aunt and uncle or something like that."

Machop nodded and squealed, "Yeah, I'm so excited!"

She then blinked and added, "You know, if any of you wanna move in, I'm sure Lairon and Garchomp will be okay with that," as Torchic shook her head and replied, "Nah, you're doing this to improve as a fighter. I wouldn't want to impose on that."

Mantima, on the other hand, was considering it. After all, she was the most physically weak member of the team, but at the same time, she had a feeling Lairon's training probably would not have compared to what her parents did to prepare her for combat. Perhaps applying their methods to herself was still the better option.

Either way, Machop had packed everything she wanted to bring with her as she sighed, "Well, I guess this is it. At the very least, do you guys wanna come over and check the place out?" Venipede's eyes wide with shock as he uttered, "You mean we'll actually get to meet them?"

Mantima was about to bring up the fact that they had all met a variety of legendary heroes in school, but she did not wish to sour the moment. After all, she wanted to meet Lairon and Garchomp as well, especially since one of her new friends would be living with them.

With that in mind, the group walked with Machop as quite a few people turned to look at them, though most of the attention was geared toward Mantima and Torchic. Machop did feel a tad disappointed not to get a few looks herself but chose not to let it get to her. After all, the other two girls had earned this.

And soon enough, the group arrived as Machop knocked on the door. The others waited in anticipation until Garchomp opened the door and said, "Well, good to see you decided to return after all," Machop giving her an odd look as she chuckled and added, "Not that I didn't expect you to."

The others stared in stunned silence as the dragon blinked and grinned, saying, "These must be your friends. Always nice to have company."

Torchic snapped out of her trance and held her leg out, saying, "It's a pleasure to meet you, Garchomp," the dragon shaking her talon and saying, "The pleasure's all mine. Meeting the daughter of the great Blaziken is certainly nice."

Venipede stared and said, "You're taller than I imagined," as Mantima nudged him and whispered, "That's kinda rude."

However, it seemed she did not need to say that as Garchomp chuckled and replied, "It's perfectly fine. I'm used to people being intimidated by my size," before backing up, "Come inside. I'll make you all some tea."

As the group entered, a certain black collie sprinted into the area to sniff the newcomers along with Machop as the girl knelt down and petted her atop the head, saying, "Hello, Eri. How are you today?" as Torchic smiled and used a talon to stroke her back.

Mantima, on the other hand, looked intimidated by the dog's presence, but why? What could she possibly have against Eri? She looked even more frightened than when she was about to face Voltorb.

Whatever the reason, she decided to change the subject as she looked around and asked, "So, where's Lairon?" Machop blinking and saying, "That's a good question."

Garchomp nodded and replied, "He's at work. He'll be back sometime after four, but until then, make yourselves at home."

The others shrugged and took a seat on the couch, figuring they may as well take Garchomp's offer. However, the others could not stay that long, especially Mantima who still looked uncomfortable around Eri. As such, it was not long until Torchic suggested, "So, guys, wanna go to the club later?"

"Aw, but you'll miss out on your chance to meet Lairon," Machop said pleadingly as Venipede shook his head and replied, "You heard Garchomp. He won't be back until after four, so if we return by then, we'll be okay."

Machop tapped her chin and nodded before saying, "Yeah, you got a point there," as Garchomp entered the room with their teacups and asked, "Would you like anything else?"

"No thanks," Mantima replied, happily accepting the cup while staring intensely at Eri, who was looking at her with her tongue out and her tail wagging, Torchic saying, "Actually, we're gonna take off in a few minutes to hang out. We'll come back early in the afternoon, though."

"I might not return," Mantima uttered as the others turned to her, the mantis adding, "I just remembered I haven't trained once today, so I think I'll head home and do that after the club."

Venipede nodded and replied, "That makes sense," as Torchic sighed, "It's alright. Maybe you could meet Lairon some other time."

Mantima nodded and uttered, "Yeah, some other time," noticing the dog starting to approach her as she scooted over to the side a bit.

After a few seconds, Venipede felt like he may have understood as he nodded and quickly gulped down his tea, trying his best to ignore how much this burned his tongue as he said, "Well, that was delicious. I think I'll head off with Mantima right now and you guys can catch up with us. How does that sound?"

The mantis stared at him briefly and thought, 'Thank god,' before putting down her cup and saying, "Now that you mention it, I'm not exactly thirsty," as Torchic shrugged her shoulders and replied, "Alright. Save us a spot on the couch, alright?"

The two nodded and got up, Garchomp sighing, "Well, have fun," watching them leave as Eri whimpered. However that came to a halt when Machop scratched her behind the ears with a warm smile.

While Venipede and Mantima headed to the club, the centipede scratched the back of his head and asked, "Are you afraid of dogs?"

The mantis turned toward him with her eyes wide open as he noticed the tension he had just caused, quickly waving his hands in front of his face and adding, "It's okay if you are! Lots of people are scared of dogs! It's nothing to be ashamed of!"

"That's not it," Mantima replied with a sigh, "You're gonna laugh at me for what I'm about to say, I just know it."

"Why would I laugh at you?" Venipede remarked with confusion in his eyes, "I would never laugh at a friend. That's just rude."

"Promise?" the mantis asked as the centipede nodded and replied, "Cross my heart."

With that in mind, Mantima took a deep breath and explained, "The truth is, I've always wanted a dog. I love dogs, so much so that I can't control myself around them. If I started petting Eri, I wouldn't be able to stop. You'd need a crowbar to get me away from him."

Venipede nodded in understanding as the mantis added, "As for why I never freaked out around Lucario, well, that's because he could talk, so it was easy to be around him."

Venipede's body started to shake as his eyes twitched. Mantima stared with concern until he held onto his sides and broke out into hysterics, the mantis groaning, "I knew it! You just couldn't resist, could you!? Miss serious fighter has a weakness for dogs!"

"No, that's not why I'm laughing," Venipede replied through wheezes, "I just find it funny that you wouldn't share something like that! It's adorable!"

"Adorable?" Mantima remarked, her cheeks turning pink as the centipede nodded and replied, "Yeah, I don't think that's anything to be ashamed of. So you like cute things. So what? Lots of people do."

The mantis blinked and said, "Wow, I never thought of it that way," a light smile forming on her face, "Thanks, Venipede, for everything. Not just for bailing me out back there but for listening. I never really thought about making friends until just recently, and, well, I'm glad I met you guys."

Venipede gave her a bright implied smile and replied, "It's no problem at all. If you ever need to share a secret with anyone, I'm your man."

At that moment, Machop and Torchic finished off their tea as the chicken grinned and said, "Well, we best head off, eh?" Machop nodding and saying, "See you later, Garchomp."

The dragon nodded and replied, "Have fun, you two," as they got up and exited the house, the dragon sighing, "To be young again."

Venipede and Mantima were just moments away from entering the club when suddenly, a tall figure wearing a big trench coat stood before them. However, the strange thing was that this stranger was not wearing pants. Instead, what looked like a blue tail was there as Mantima held Venipede's arm, scowling and saying, "Careful, I get the feeling this isn't a civilian."

"I don't know who you are," the stranger said in a deep feminine voice while looking at Venipede, "but I recognize your friend from the news. You're the one who defeated Voltorb, correct?"

"Um, well," Mantima uttered as the stranger removed her cloak to reveal a bright-blue serpent with a head like that of a Chinese dragon. She had a yellow underbelly and various spots of the same colour along her sides. Over her eyes was a dark-blue crest with three points that resembled a uni-brow. Down her back were four white coral-like fins and her lips were the same colour as her spots and underbelly. Her barbels were also white and she had two bulky arms that matched the width of her body.

Venipede's eyes widened as he trembled, uttering, "Oh my god, who is that?" Mantima holding up a defensive stance as the serpent frowned and said, "I'll admit, you're not exactly who I'm looking for, but I could use some target practice."

"For someone who saw my match on TV, you underestimate me," Mantima growled before turning to Venipede and noticing his fear. The mantis then let out a sigh and patted him on the shoulder, a light smile on her face.

The centipede blinked as she said, "It's okay, Venipede. If we fight her together, there's no way she can possibly beat us," all the while wondering if she could truly back up those words.

Venipede nodded his head and replied, "Right," forcing a more serious look and thinking, 'I joined Hero School because I wanted to follow in my mom's footsteps and fight evil. Now that I've graduated, I have no excuse to back out! I've come too far to just sit back and let my friends do all the work for me!'

With that in mind, his serious look went from forced to sincere as he nodded at Mantima, saying, "Alright, let's do this," the mantis nodding and pointing at the serpent, barking, "Alright, villainous scum, you're dealing with Mantima and Venipede now!"

"Villainous scum?" the serpent retorted, "What is this, a Saturday Morning cartoon?" before shrugging her shoulders and adding, "Either way, I guess I may as well let you know who's going to beat you today. My name is Gyarados."

"Good to know," Mantima replied as she held up a defensive stance, remembering what charging forward had done to Machop when she fought Voltorb.

Venipede noticed this and did the same, figuring a more cautious approach might be a better idea. Gyarados, on the other hand, did not seem to think this way as she propelled herself off the ground, flying toward both heroes with her arms out. Mantima and Venipede both nodded and ducked down only for the serpent to whip out her tail, striking both in the face.

This caused both to lean back as she landed in front of them, proceeding forward and hooking their necks. However, she did not end her attack there as rather than knocking them down, she applied just enough force to harm them while still keeping them standing. With that, she bent her forearms inward thus latching onto the very spots she had hit before standing up on the tip of her tail and spinning around.

Mantima started to get dizzy as Venipede was terrified out of his mind, a small blue twister surrounding them as Gyarados leapt high into the air, flipping herself and the others one-hundred-and-eighty degrees. She then descended toward the concrete below and exclaimed, "HURRICANE HOOK!" slamming both of her opponents hard against the surface.

Mantima's eyes and mouth were wide with shock. Despite having taken in electricity and survived, this one slam felt far worse. And while Venipede showed more resistance due to his strong upper body, this still hurt as Gyarados released her hold and allowed them to collapse.

Despite having only taken in three hits, Mantima seemed to be out cold as she was barely breathing, Gyarados sighing, "Pathetic. I expected better from the one who defeated Voltorb," only to feel slightly intrigued when Venipede slowly rose to his feet, breathing heavily.

He then looked down at Mantima and trembled, Gyarados folding her arms and saying, "So you survived, but it seems as if you can't take in much more. Perhaps you should just give up. I wouldn't blame you."

However, Venipede could not let this serpent get away with hurting his friend this badly, especially when he was also in this fight. As such, he scowled and retorted, "Who said I'm giving up!?"

With that, he charged toward Gyarados as she sent a punch toward him. The centipede saw this coming as he dodged to the right, taking hold of her wrist. The serpent's eyes widened as he pulled up on her arm, forcing her to lose her balance and fall on her chin.

With that, he proceeded to crawl onto her back and latch his legs along with his lower and middle arms around her torso. He then wrapped his upper arms around her neck and pulled up, shouting, "CENTIPEDE SUBMISSION!"

Gyarados had to admit, she was not only impressed that he pulled this off but that this hold hurt so much. With all eight of his parts applying pressure, this dealt considerable pain, more so than most submission holds.

But even so, Gyarados would not go down so easily as she struggled to free herself, Venipede shouting, "I'M NOT GONNA LET YOU GO UNLESS YOU GIVE UP AND SWEAR TO LEAVE TOKYO FOREVER!" the serpent letting out a loud roar.

Torchic and Machop were getting close when they heard this, the chicken asking, "Should we go and see what that is?" Machop nodding as they picked up the pace.

While Venipede's confidence had risen, he was terrified of what the serpent might do if she escaped. After all, there was no way she would allow herself to fall to this move twice. As a result, nervous sweat poured down him, some of it falling on top of Gyarados as she noticed this.

'I can feel it,' she thought, 'That fear he showed earlier, it's still there. I know what I need to do.'

With that in mind, she squirmed and forced herself forward. This caused her more pain, but it was all she could come up with as she inched her way over to Mantima, growling, "If you don't release your hold on me right now, I'm going to bite your friend's head off!"

"What!?" Venipede spat as the serpent opened her jaws, the centipede wasting no time letting go of her as he backed up, trembling with fear as the serpent rose back up.

"Wow, you are so gullible," the serpent said with a smirk.

Venipede scowled and retorted, "You mean you were lying!?" as Gyarados sighed, "I'm even more amazed by the fact that this actually surprises you."

With this in mind, the centipede rolled up into a ball and sprang toward her, shouting, "I CAN BEAT YOU WITHOUT THAT HOLD! CENTIPEDE STEAMROLLER!" but just as he was about to run into the serpent, she instinctively threw her arms out and stopped him in his tracks.

The force of his attack caused her to back up slightly, but that was all it managed to do as the spinning eventually came to a halt. And once Venipede retracted out of his ball-like state, Gyarados wrapped her arms around him just as Torchic and Machop showed up, both staring in horror.

"VENIPEDE!" Machop cried as Gyarados turned and smirked, saying, "Good, the one I actually wanted to see is here," before leaping toward a nearby lamppost and shouting, "DRAGON DIVE!" ramming Venipede's skull into it.

With that, the centipede coughed up a bit of green blood as his eyes were closed, Gyarados releasing her hold and allowing him to collapse. She then took a deep breath and asked, "These are the jokers protecting Tokyo? Pathetic."

Machop gritted her teeth and snapped, "Who do you think you are!? Those are my friends you're insulting!" Gyarados sighing, "Then you need stronger friends."

She then lifted up Venipede, holding him up by his neck as Machop spat, "YOU PUT HIM DOWN!" Torchic nodding as both sprinted toward the serpent.

However, Gyarados saw this coming and leapt over their heads, landing behind them as they gasped, turning around with anger in their expressions. However, it seemed as if Venipede might not be in too much danger as Gyarados said, "As much as I'd love to take you down right here and now, Machop, I would much rather face you fairly in a one-on-one match. Only then will I feel truly satisfied."

Machop blinked and uttered, "What are you talking about?" Gyarados remarking, "Among the heroes chosen to defend Tokyo, you are the only one I truly care about. If you want me to release your friend, you will agree to fight me in the local arena tomorrow at noon, and only you. If I win, you and your friends will agree to let me rule over Tokyo. Have we got a deal?"

With that, she proceeded to placed both of her hands firmly against Venipede's head like she was just about to snap his neck, Torchic gasping as Machop squeaked, "WAIT!" Gyarados staring as she sighed, "Alright, I accept your challenge. Just please let him go."

The serpent smirked and released her hold on the centipede, allowing him to collapse and taking her leave as Machop fell to her knees, uttering, "Oh no," Torchic asking, "What's wrong?"

The girl trembled and thought, 'I haven't even gotten any training in yet. I'm not ready for this. Why did she challenge me!? Is it because of my family's reputation!? Daddy had a lot of enemies because of that.'

Whatever the case, she only had only a little over twenty-four hours to prepare herself. Could she possibly be ready in time?


	8. Chapter 8

Things had certainly taken a bad turn. Not only were Venipede and Mantima out cold but Machop had to face the villain who was responsible tomorrow. As if that was not enough, she could not start training with Lairon until four, giving her very little time.

Currently, she and Torchic were in the waiting room in a hospital as Machop had her hands on her head, wondering what she could do. The chicken patted her on the shoulder with one of her talons as a nurse entered the area, telling them their friends would recover within two days. The one good thing to come out of all of this was that their injuries were not too severe, though Mantima's had been shockingly worse than Venipede's despite her having taken in less hits.

Both girls thanked the nurse for the good news before Machop sighed, "Do you honestly think I can do it?"

"Of course you can!" Torchic replied with a look of confusion, "Where's this coming from? You've always been really confident in yourself! Where's that upbeat, positive girl I met in school?"

"Before my match with Voltorb, I honestly believed I could handle anyone," Machop replied with a look of uncertainty, "but you saw how easily I lost. Mantima managed to defeat him when I was only able to hit him once. Lairon told me it's because I'm not ready yet, and he's right. I don't know how to come up with strategies."

"Wait, is that why you lost?" Torchic asked as Machop sighed, "Don't pretend you didn't see it. You and Mantima won because you used your heads when facing your opponents. I didn't."

The chicken nodded and shrugged her shoulders, replying, "Well, if that's all, I could help you until Lairon gets back. If that's the only issue, that's not too hard to fix. I'm sure you can do it. You just need to get in a little practice, maybe use what you saw from your opponent today to come up with some way to beat her."

"But I only saw one move from her," Machop groaned as Torchic shrugged and replied, "Well, you can at least figure out how to avoid that move. I'm not a complete tactical genius, but I do know a few things about strategizing."

Machop took a deep breath and gave her friend a light smile, replying, "Thanks. You're a real pal," Torchic grinning and saying, "Any time, buddy," rubbing her shoulder.

With that in mind, Machop took a deep breath and rose to her feet, saying, "I'm sure Venipede and Mantima would much rather I prepare for my match than worry about them, so let's get this started as soon as possible," Torchic nodding as the duo exited the hospital.

During this time, Gyarados was in front of the local arena with a news crew nearby but keeping their distance as a woman stood before the camera and said, "We are reporting live where the serpent, Gyarados, has revealed that she and Machop will face off in this very arena to decide the fate of Tokyo. Only one day since the defeat of Vigoroth and Voltorb and we are already in danger again."

One camera zoomed in on the serpent as the reporter continued, "When we asked why specifically she chose Machop as her opponent, she gave us no answer, just a glare, one that has certainly convinced us to stay as far away from her as possible."

All the while, Gyarados had a serious look in her eyes as she thought, 'You'd better show up tomorrow, Machop. I'm gonna make you pay for what your family put mine through.'

During this time, Machop and Torchic had returned to Lairon and Garchomp's house as they were in the back yard having a sparring match. Torchic leapt at Machop only for the girl to grab hold of her ankles and swing her around, flinging her toward a tree. However, Torchic was prepared as she flipped her body around just in time for her talons to press up against the plant. She launched herself off of it, sending a hard peck into Machop's gut.

The girl grunted in pain and knelt down, Torchic sighing, "Damn, you were actually doing pretty good there," Machop groaning, "I know I told you not to hold back, but this is really hurting my self-esteem!"

Garchomp entered the area and said, "You know, just cause I'm in my forties doesn't mean I can't still kick ass. How's about I have a round, eh?" a grin on her face as Machop tapped her chin and said, "You know, that might be a good idea."

With that in mind, Machop spent the next little while fighting Garchomp. However, she proved to be even more of a challenge as the girl had trouble keeping up with her fighting style, falling victim to almost every move she dished out.

It was at this moment that Lairon arrived home and sighed, "Alright, after a nice rest, I can get started on Machop's-" only to hear noise coming from the back.

And when he looked outside, sure enough, Garchomp had Machop pinned to the ground with her claws raised. The dinosaur grinned and opened the door, clapping and saying, "Bravo, honey. Still tough as you were the day we met."

Garchomp grinned and said, "Welcome home, darling," Machop groaning, "Tell me he didn't see all of that."

Torchic immediately bowed her head and said, "It's an honour to meet you, sir," Lairon sighing, "Please, you treat me like I'm the Hero Olympics champion. I didn't even make it past the first round, remember?"

Soon enough, all was explained to him as he nodded and said, "That's what I figured was going on. I saw a news report talking about that on the way home," Machop replying, "Good, so you know how important it is that we start on this training of yours right away."

Torchic nodded and sighed, "I hate to admit it, but your wife and I aren't exactly making headway here. Machop's able to put up an okay fight against us, but it hasn't gone past the point of just okay."

"Yeah, and this opponent seems really tough," Machop added, "She beat Venipede and Mantima at the same time. I'm not sure I can face a villain like that."

Lairon took a deep breath and replied, "Well, that is bad. I could tell from looking at her that she's bad news, but mark my words, if you follow my lead, you'll be able to win this match for sure."

Machop beamed and nodded, asking, "So, what are we gonna start on?" Lairon replying, "Strength training."

All went silent as the girl uttered, "What?" the dinosaur nodding his head and replying, "Look, in order to know how to defeat your opponent, you'll need to know what her abilities are. I could show you every countermeasure I know, I could teach you how to avoid all of my techniques, but that won't teach you how to overcome Gyarados. So my recommendation for now is to build up your strength."

Machop bit her lower lip as Garchomp shrugged and said, "No offence, honey, but does she need that? Surely she must have inherited Gardevoir's hidden power," Torchic blinking and uttering, "Hidden power?"

Machop nodded and explained, "Yeah, it's a power passed down to every female in her family. When one of us in trouble, her hands glow and she takes on unimaginable power for a brief period of time. But, well, let's just say I've managed to master an ability Mama used when she fought Hitmontop back in the day."

She remembered being told of this fight and how Gardevoir prayed that the power would help her without her having to take in extreme damage. As a result, she wound up merging with it so while she lost the state that made her three times stronger, her normal strength had doubled, so while she lost an amazing power up, she also lost the need for said power for a while.

"That's why I'm able to pack more of a punch than my lack of muscles would have you believe," Machop replied with a grin as she flexed her arms, Lairon nodding and saying, "Impressive. I still think it would be a good idea to improve upon your strength, but it's good to know you could very well be just as strong as your father, if not stronger. Just think, if you can learn how to strategize, you'll be unstoppable."

Machop still failed to understand why she needed to do strength training first, but either way, Lairon seemed to know what he was talking about. As such, she agreed to go along with this, hoping that it would help her in the long run. Though Torchic headed home first as she did not wish to distract her friend during all of this.

After a couple of hours of weight-lifting, Machop had herself a short break for dinner. And once that was out of the way, it was finally time to get into strategic thinking. This was what Machop had been waiting for as this was what she knew she needed.

"Alright, so at the very least, we know one of Gyarados' abilities," Lairon stated, "And it sounds like a tricky one. I'd even go so far as to say your best bet is not to be caught by it at all," Machop lowering her eyelids and groaning, "Are you really a master tactician?"

"Look, there are moves in this world that are near impossible to dodge," Lairon remarked, "But it might still be possible to get out of that move. Tell you what. I will have Garchomp reenact that Dragon Dive Attack and you will try and come up with a way out of it."

Machop stared and uttered, "You're not gonna suggest anything first?" as Lairon shook his head and replied, "Nope. You need to learn how to strategize, and the best way to do that is to at least try doing it yourself. If you can learn how to avoid one move without relying on brute strength alone, you can learn how to avoid many others."

Soon enough, Garchomp was outside as she had her arms wrapped around Machop, saying, "I hope I don't hurt you too hard," a big grin on her face as Machop narrowed her eyelids and uttered, "You seem way too happy about doing this."

"That's a good grip, honey," Lairon said before asking, "So, Machop, how did this move work? Describe it exactly the way you saw it."

Machop took a deep breath and said, "It wasn't anything too complicated, but after binding Venipede in place, Gyarados leapt toward a lamppost like a diver descending toward a pool and rammed his skull into it. You think you can replicate that, Garchomp?"

The dragon nodded and said, "That's easy for me," before taking to the air and flying toward a tree, Machop's eyes widening as she spat, "HEY, I'M NOT READY YET!" her face hitting the plant hard.

Garchomp released her hold and blinked, uttering, "Sorry about that," as Machop rubbed his face, grumbling, "That wasn't fair. You didn't give me any warning."

"Just like Gyarados won't give you any warning," Lairon retorted with a stern look, "This training exercise isn't just to teach you how to dodge this one move. It's to help you get ready for a real match. Gyarados isn't just going to delay the dive just so you can ready yourself."

"Won't it be easy to just dodge when she tries to grab me?" Machop groaned as Lairon sighed, "That is ideal, but even you noticed the problem with that strategy right away. You can't rule out the possibility that Gyarados can still catch you with it, even if you were at your most alert."

"True, but I'm starting to wonder about that," Machop sighed, "This moves involves her binding my arms in place while my legs would also be kind of useless in this situation. How can I stop my head from making contact with the turnbuckle?"

"There you go again," Lairon sighed, "Thinking with your muscles instead of your brain. While throwing your arms forward and stopping your trip with your hands is ideal, you're right, it can't work in this situation, not even with your strength. But at the same time, it is possible to escape from the hold before it's too late. You need to figure out what that method is."

Machop took a deep breath and replied, "Well, if you're not gonna tell me what to do, I guess I have no choice," Garchomp resting a claw on her shoulder with a supportive smile on her face.

With all said and done, Machop allowed herself to be bound by Garchomp again as the dragon wasted no time flying toward the tree. The girl tried her hardest to find a way out but could not as her head once again made contact with the tree.

The third time Garchomp bound her, she tried to shake herself free from the hold before the dragon could take off only for the grip to prove too much. And thus the girl once again found herself making contact with the tree as she grumbled curses, Lairon folding his arms and shaking his head.

"I can't get this!" she groaned, "Can't you teach me how to avoid some basic techniques? It's not like this is the only move she has," Lairon shrugging and replying, "Well, you have a point there. Maybe we'll take a break from the Dragon Dive so you don't strain yourself too much."

Machop looked down as Garchomp patted her on the shoulders, saying, "Don't worry about it. I'm sure you'll figure something out when the time comes. From what I saw, your father had a knack for that sort of thing."

'Yeah, that's what I've heard too,' Machop thought with a serious look, 'I'm not gonna let you down, Daddy. I'll make this my first victory on Earth, just you wait!'

And for the next hour, Lairon guided Machop through a variety of basic techniques. He used a lot of submission holds on her, giving her time to think of ways out of them. At first the girl struggled as she attempted to pry him off of her in some vain attempt at getting out of these holds, but she soon realized that was only making things worse and thus had to come up with more complex methods.

While she certainly struggled with this too, Lairon saw her making quick progress here as he grinned and said, "Alright, I'm only gonna have you try and avoid one last technique. Seeing as your opponent has a tail, there's no doubt in my mind she'll probably try to use it."

Machop blinked and nodded, replying, "Yeah, that makes sense," as Lairon's tail glowed, the dinosaur saying, "I'm about to use my best technique against you. Are you ready for this?"

The girl nodded with a serious look and remarked, "Bring it."

With that, Lairon leapt high above her head and swung his tail toward her, shouting, "IRON TAIL!" only for Machop to lift up her arms and block the incoming part. A big grin formed on her face as she easily prevented it from hitting her, tightening her trip on the part she had just caught and slamming Lairon's back into the ground.

"Very good," the dinosaur said with a grin, "but I'm not sure if I can honestly say that's the best idea against Gyarados."

"What!?" Machop spat, her eyes and mouth wide open as Lairon rose to his feet, Garchomp sighing, "What he's saying is that due to his age, his strength has deteriorated, so while blocking the tail may work on him, there is a chance it might not work on Gyarados."

"But there's a chance it might?" Machop asked with hope in her eyes as Lairon nodded and replied, "Well, I can't argue with that. Yes, that is still a possibility," Machop breathing a sigh of relief as he added, "Still, always remember that blocking the tail isn't the only option."

Machop nodded as Lairon suggested, "Well, now that that's out of the way, what say we try that Dragon Dive one more time?" Machop biting her lower lip.

Lairon and Garchomp saw the look on her face as Garchomp sighed, "Come on, Machop, you're making progress. I know you can do this if you set your mind to it."

Machop tensed up and whimpered, "But what if I can't? This really seems like a move that would require high physical strength, and if I can't fight your grip, how can I possibly fight Gyarados'?" Garchomp taking a deep breath and replying, "You'll never know if you don't try."

Unfortunately, despite all of their best efforts, Machop still could not figure out a way out of this move. And sure enough, she eventually exhausted herself as Lairon sighed, "What time is it?" Garchomp replying, "Eleven. If she wants full strength for her match, she'll need her rest."

Lairon took a deep breath as Machop slowly opened her eyes, groaning, "No, I can still do this," only for the dinosaur to shake his head and pick her up, saying, "No, you need to sleep. If you're too tired, you won't be able to do anything in your match tomorrow. You've made some progress in other areas today."

"But what if I forget everything?" Machop whimpered as Lairon carried her up to her room and replied, "It's alright. Tomorrow's my day off, so I'll be able to give you advice from the sidelines."

Machop's eyes sparkled as she wrapped her arms around the dinosaur's neck, squealing, "Thank you so much!" the dinosaur laughing nervously and thinking, 'Maybe she's not that much different from her father.'

With that, the dinosaur set her down in her bed and took a deep breath, turning off the light and thinking, 'I really hope you're ready for this. You're our last hope right now.'

Soon enough, morning came as Machop woke up bright and early to have a nice breakfast. And luckily for her, Garchomp had woken up before her to prepare such a meal, having made eggs, bacon and toast.

Machop scarfed down the eggs and toast at an incredible pace as Lairon blinked and said, "Someone's full of spirit," the girl nodding and replying, "Yeah. It's just that, well, I have a feeling that with you by my side, I can do this. I may have lost my first match on Earth, but that just means I need to do much better for my next one, right?"

"Exactly," Lairon replied as he took a sip of coffee, smiling and saying, "You make the best mocha, honey," Garchomp grinning and replying, "Anything for my beloved."

Eri sat next to Machop just as she was about to eat her bacon, panting happily and wagging his tail. The girl blinked and looked at her plate before giving him a warm smile and saying, "Here," setting her plate in front of him and allowing him to eat her meat.

The others stared as the girl rose to her feet and said, "I don't need bacon. Eggs are good enough for me," Lairon not sure what to make of that. Though for all he knew, this could possibly help her perform better, so he chose not to argue with her about this.

Shortly after breakfast, Machop called up Torchic as the chicken had just finished her own meal. Needless to say, she was happy to hear her friend sounding so spirited this morning. After all, Machop would need all the confidence she could get if she was to stand a chance against such a tough adversary.

"So, are you gonna be there?" Machop asked as Torchic replied, "Of course I'm gonna be there. There's no way I'm gonna miss this match," before sighing, "Unfortunately, though, neither Venipede nor Mantima will be there. Venipede's regained consciousness but can't move and Mantima still hasn't woken up."

"I had a feeling," Machop sighed, "I'm just glad at least one of them has recovered. Just knowing that he can watch my match on TV is good enough."

Torchic grinned and replied, "I look forward to seeing your new skills in action. Imagine just how surprised the crowd's gonna be to see the legendary Lairon walk with you toward the ring."

Machop grinned and squealed, "Yeah! It's gonna be so cool getting instructions from a veteran! I hope Daddy gets to see my match! I just know he'll be impressed!"

After a bit more talking, the two said their goodbyes and hung up. Needless to say, Machop was certain she could win this and keep up her family's reputation. One loss would not ruin that.

During this time, Gyarados was already at the arena, readying herself for the match. She was currently practising her moves on a blue dummy with a face similar to that of Machoke only with fish lips painted on it. This was to resemble Machamp, Machop's grandfather, as the serpent placed a firm grip on the dummy and bit into the face.

She then tore it off and tossed it to the side, taking many deep breaths and thinking, 'I may never get to face you in combat, but mark my words, I'll make your granddaughter pay for what you did to my grandpa! I hope you're able to see these matches on Hero Planet because I want you to see me wipe the floor with her!'

And once noon rolled around, the seats were all filled as Tokyo had anticipated this since the news report the previous day. Nori sat behind her usual desk while, surprisingly, Yuki had joined her voluntarily. As it just so happened, the matches that took place two days ago had inspired her to follow in her mother's footsteps.

"Can I give the opening statement?" she pleaded as her mother nodded and replied, "You most certainly can."

Thus Yuki held up her own microphone and exclaimed, "The bleachers are full today as we await the match between Machop and Gyarados! As was the agreement, if Machop loses this match, Tokyo will have no choice but to bow down to evil!"

While she continued her speech, Machop was in the back readying herself while Lairon watched her train, saying, "Remember, don't go overboard. You still need energy for your match," the girl nodding and replying, "Right."

With all said and done, Lairon took a deep breath and thought, 'I hope you're watching, Machoke. I've only just begun, but I feel like I may have shaped your daughter into a real fighter. I just hope this doesn't turn out like your match with Lucario."

He looked back to that fateful day in the Hero Olympics finals when Aipom had injured herself saving Garchomp and thus was replaced by Lucario's sister, a human girl named Amanda. Though at the time, she had dawned a disguise and went under the alias Meisai. While Machoke had performed well, he ultimately suffered defeat when he got carried away and stopped taking the British girl's advice.

All Lairon could hope for was that the same thing did not happen to Machop. As long as she followed his advice, there was no doubt in the his mind that she could win this.

Soon enough, it was almost time as Lairon grinned and said, "By the way, I set up a special entrance for you. You may not like it too much, but this sort of thing always helped your father before his matches."

Back in the fight area, Yuki tapped on her microphone to get the people's attention again, exclaiming, "Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, it's finally time for the main event!" the crowd cheering as Torchic grinned and thought, 'You're gonna kick so much ass today.'

Venipede, meanwhile, watched this on a small TV in the hospital as he thought, 'Be careful, Machop. She's really tough.'

"In the red corner, a monstrous serpent who is sure to be a major threat!" Yuki stated, "She has hospitalized both Mantima and Venipede, but she might just meet her match today! Introducing Gyarados!" Nori nodding and saying, "Good job."

With that, the serpent slithered toward the ring with her arms folded. For whatever reason, she had a yellow crown made entirely out of painted coral atop her head as she glared at a nearby camera, thinking, 'You'd better be watching, you bastard.'

Meanwhile, Machamp was actually tuning in along with his wife, a human woman named Kala. After all, they wanted to see if their granddaughter had what it took. Though currently, Machamp was focused on that crown Gyarados was wearing. It looked familiar, but he could not put his finger on where he had seen it.

Once the serpent entered the ring, she picked the crown up off of her head and set it atop a turnbuckle. The crowd was truly frightened as she looked even more menacing up close than she did on TV.

"And in the blue corner," Yuki exclaimed, "the daughter of the mighty Machoke! While she left a less-than-stellar impression in her first match, she is determined to make up for that today! With incredible strength for one seemingly lacking in muscle, Machop!"

The crowd went wild but were soon confused as Machop rode toward the ring atop a float with water shooting up out of little fountains on the edges. Torchic blinked and uttered, "What the hell is that?" as Lairon pulled the float, asking, "How you doing up there?"

Machop had a look of embarrassment on her face as she was dressed in a tutu, standing on one foot and making a heart formation with her hands over her head. She also used her toe to spin around like an actual fountain statue. Gyarados' eyes were wide as her jaw dropped, the serpent feeling more irritated than amused. It was as if Machop did not take this match seriously at all.

And it seemed the audience had the same idea as they pointed and laughed, Nori thinking, 'That's more what I expect from the Mach family,' as soon enough, Lairon set down the float as Machop propelled herself off of it, twirling in midair while throwing off her tutu and landing gracefully against the ring, giving a bow with the most uncomfortable look on her face.

Steam shot out of the sides of Gyarados' head as Machop sighed, "Sorry about that. That was my trainer's idea," Lairon clapping and shouting, "Don't feel too ashamed! You actually pulled off the entire routine! Your dad was usually so bad at the finale!"

At that moment, everyone's attention soon turned to the dinosaur as Nori exclaimed, "Oh my god, folks, we are seeing a real legend here! This is the great Lairon who almost defeated Garchomp!" the woman then handed a sheet of paper as she looked over it and said, "And it turns out he's Machop's second for this match!"

The crowd was now fully invested in the match again as they cheered wildly, Gyarados folding her arms and saying, "So, you called upon the help of a veteran. I guess you do take me seriously after all," Torchic sighing, "Well, we could have done without the ridiculous entrance, but at least her head's still in the game."

With that, it was just about time for the match to begin as the girl and the serpent stared each other down. There was no way Machop would lose, not after all she had done to prepare herself.


	9. Chapter 9

With the match between Machop and Gyarados underway, excitement had risen to an all-time high among the crowd. Sure, the girl's entrance was certainly unexpected to say the least, but she was still serious about this match and with a veteran fighter now guiding her, there was no doubt she would perform much better than when she fought Voltorb.

Before the match could begin, Gyarados took a deep breath and said, "Mark my words, Machop, those friends of yours were just a warmup for me. You'd better not be a disappointment," the girl frowning and nodding her head. At the very least, it seemed as if the serpent had not seen her first match on Earth.

Lairon grinned, gave Machop a thumb up and said, "Remember what we discussed," the girl looking back to a conversation the two had on the way to the arena.

While walking, Lairon turned to Machop and said, "Now, as tempting as getting the first move in might seem, there is a low chance of you actually getting it if you race toward your opponent like a maniac. As such, you will let Gyarados have the first move."

"What!?" Machop retorted, her eyes wide as the dinosaur nodded and said, "I know it might not sound ideal, but trust me, it is. Not only will Gyarados reveal another ability, but if your timing is just right, you can dodge whatever she tries to dish out and catch her off-guard. That is when you will deliver the first strike."

Back in present time, Machop nodded her head and smiled with confidence, Gyarados frowning. She was going to wipe that look off the girl's face no matter what.

With that, both fighters stood on opposite sides of the ring as Nori said, "Well, it seems like the fighters are ready. So without further ado, let's begin!" Yuki ringing the bell as Machop held up a defensive stance, Torchic thinking, 'Well, that's different.'

Gyarados frowned when Machop gave her a smug look, saying, "You know what? I'm so awesome, I'll let you have the first hit," Lairon thinking, 'Perfect.'

And it seemed these words certainly struck a nerve with Gyarados as she scowled and snapped, "You asked for it!" before leaping toward Machop with her arm stretched out for a clothesline.

Machop was tempted to raised up her arms and block it, Venipede watching this and thinking, 'Don't make the same mistake I did!'

However, it seemed she might very well not as Lairon exclaimed, "Now, leap to the left!" Machop taking a deep breath and doing just that. And it seemed to work as due to Gyarados' right arm not sticking out, Machop easily avoided the attack.

The serpent scowled and threw that very arm toward the girl as Lairon spat, "Now you can counter!" as Machop smirked and took hold of Gyarados' wrist.

The crowd cheered as the serpent's eyes widened, Machop throwing her forward as her face connected with the turnbuckle. Torchic had a big smile on her face as Nori exclaimed, "Well, we are certainly seeing a different Machop today! Not only did she evade Gyarados' clothesline, but she even managed to ram her into the turnbuckle!"

Yuki had a big grin on her face as she was about to cheer only for Nori to shake her head, saying, "Something you need to realize is that we announcers are neutral during matches," the younger woman nodding as her mother smiled and thought, 'Still, it's hard to resist applauding a member of the Mach family.'

It seemed Gyarados was not going to let that go as she was still able to focus. As such, she lifted up her tail and aimed for Machop's face. But just as the girl was about to raise her arms in an attempt to block it, Lairon spat, "Leap away from it!"

The girl bit her lower lip, but seeing as his strategy earlier had helped, she saw no reason not to follow his advice. As such, she leapt back just in time to avoid having the tail hit her in the skull, Gyarados growling and turning toward her.

"Well, good to see you are at least a challenge," the serpent grunted, "But don't think for a minute that a few impressive tricks are going to win you this match."

Machop nodded and held up her arms defensively, waiting for the serpent's next move. Lairon grinned and folded his arms, feeling proud of his student. Despite only having been under his wing for a day, she was already taking his advice very well. If she could keep this up, there was no doubt she would win.

Even so, Gyarados was just as determined to win this match as she slithered toward Machop. Lairon watched her closely before noticing her start to pick up the pace, the dinosaur barking, "NOW, MACHOP!"

Machop nodded as Gyarados lunged at her, the girl leaping over the serpent's head before planting her feet into the back of her neck. Gyarados winced from the pain and fell on her chin while the crowd cheered, Machop propelling herself away from her and landing a solid distance from where she was.

Torchic had a big smile on her face as she clapped her talons together, thinking, 'Wow, Lairon's amazing!' And all the while, Venipede implied his own smile with his eyes, thinking, 'She's so cool.'

"And Machop continues to avoid damage while pulling off an incredible counter!" Nori stated as Yuki nodded and replied, "I'll say. Gyarados seemed like such a major threat at first, but now she's not quite as intimidating."

Gyarados turned her gaze toward Machop with her teeth gritted when she noticed the girl and her trainer giving each other a thumb up. Suddenly, her anger turned to understanding as she knew exactly what to do. It was a long shot, but if she could pull this off, she would have the advantage.

The serpent slowly rose back up and said, "I'll admit, you've done a good job so far. It's a good thing you have someone like Lairon to help you out with that, isn't it?" Machop blinking and uttering, "Uh, yeah. It is, isn't it?" the dinosaur frowning and thinking, 'This better not go where I think it will.'

"Yes, in fact, one could argue that he's the one doing all the work," Gyarados added as Machop retorted, "Wait, what!?" as the dinosaur retorted, "Don't listen to her! She's trying to turn you against me!"

Machop blinked and uttered, "Seriously?" only for Gyarados to shake her head and remark, "Let me ask you something. Those tactics you used earlier, did they feel real? Were those the kind of techniques you would have used if you didn't have Lairon giving you advice?"

Even the crowd was unsure what to think of this as Machop sighed, "Admittedly, no. I probably would have just raced toward you only to run face-first into a fist. If anything, following Lairon's advice is the best thing I can do," the dinosaur grinning.

But just as he was about to praise her, Gyarados sighed, "Just as I thought. You know, your father may have taken some advice back in the day, but it's also gone on record that his trainer didn't have to give him a whole lot of tips. No, he was able to come up with brilliant strategies on his own."

"Really?" Machop asked as Lairon gritted his teeth and thought, 'Oh no, she's actually right about that. Aipom may have trained him a lot, but she rarely ever gave him advice during matches. Most of his victories truly felt like his own.'

Seeing as the dinosaur did not even try to deny these words, Machop had a look of disbelief as Gyarados added, "Let's face it, if you were truly worthy of the family name, you wouldn't have to listen to Lairon's advice during this match. If you were a true Mach, you would be able to defeat me with your own tactics."

All went silent as Torchic gritted her teeth, growling, "Don't listen to her," Lairon all the while hoping for the same thing.

And back at home, Garchomp was watching this with Eri as the collie whimpered. The dragon sighed and scratched him lightly behind the ear, saying, "Yeah, I hope she doesn't listen to her too."

Unfortunately, it seemed like Gyarados' plan had worked as Machop took a deep breath and sighed, "Thanks for all the help, Lairon, but I can take it from here," one member of the crowd shouting, "YEAH! GYARADOS IS RIGHT! A MEMBER OF THE MACH FAMILY SHOULD BE ABLE TO STAND UP FOR HERSELF!"

'No, don't encourage her!' Lairon thought with his teeth clenched as a woman in the crowd exclaimed, "Yeah, give her a taste of girl power!" many other audience members cheering.

Torchic wanted to speak up against this, yet she was unsure of whether or not she could side with Lairon on this one. After all, she and Mantima had won both of their debut matches without any advice whatsoever, and if they could pull it off, certainly Machop could.

Lairon slapped his forehead and thought, 'It's just as I feared, but what can I do?' before nodding as his mind added, 'If she's not going to listen, then I'll just wait and see where this goes.'

With that in mind, the dinosaur took a seat as Yuki blinked, uttering, "Did he just give up on his student?" Nori shrugging and replying, "Seems that way."

Machop took a deep breath and thought, 'I'm really sorry, Lairon, but I gotta prove myself worthy of the family name,' though she still chose to go on the defensive. At the very least, she knew this was good advice, and Lairon was a bit happy to see her at least doing that much.

However, Gyarados felt this was good enough as she sprang off the mat, shouting, "ALRIGHT, TRY TO DODGE THIS!" flipping herself vertically like a wheel and aiming her tail toward Machop's skull.

Unlike before, Machop had a feeling that countering would be a much better option as she lifted her arms up, applying force to the tail to keep it from hitting her. However, it seemed this did not have the result she wanted as Gyarados applied some extra force of her own, Machop's eyes wide open as the backs of her hands were forced into her skull, the girl falling on her back with the tail crushing her under its weight.

The crowd stared in horror as Gyarados proceeded to turn her tail sideways, keeping it on Machop's midsection to prevent her from moving. She then knelt down and sent an onslaught of punches into her face, Torchic staring in horror as Lairon winced at the sight of this. He wanted to give her advice right now, but at the same time, he needed to know that she was willing to listen.

"Machop was off to a good start, but Gyarados has managed to overpower her," Yuki stated, "That tail to the face has really put her in a bad spot," Nori nodding and adding, "While the Mach family does have some incredible strength, it would seem Gyarados' tail was much stronger than her muscles."

"That can't be true!" a member of the crowd exclaimed as another added, "Maybe it is. Machop clearly has smaller muscles than those of Machoke. Maybe she's not as strong as he is."

Whatever the case, Gyarados had sent a total of fifteen punches into Machop's face thus drawing blood from her nostrils as she was just barely awake. The crowd could not help but feel disappointed as the serpent lifted her up, a smirk on her face as she said, "So much for the ultimate genes. You're nowhere near as good as your grandfather was."

'Grandpa?' Machop thought with a look of confusion, 'Why did she bring him up? Most people compare me to Daddy, not Grandpa.'

However, that thought soon came to an end when Gyarados wrapped her arms around the girl, Lairon's eyes widening as he thought, 'This must be the move. We never found a way out of it,' as Gyarados leapt toward the nearest turnbuckle like a fish diving toward its pray.

And soon enough, the back of Machop's head made contact with the pole as her eyes widened, Gyarados shouting, "DRAGON DIVE!" as the girl coughed up blood.

And with that, the serpent released her hold and allowed her to collapse, folding her arms and sighing, "I expected a bit more of a challenge, but this is satisfying enough."

The crowd stared in horror as Torchic spat, "MACHOP!" Nori saying, "It would seem as if Machop is down for the count. Gyarados' attack was certainly devastating."

Lairon, all the while, shook his head and thought, 'Please tell me she still has the strength to carry on. I wanted her to learn her lesson, but not like this.'

"Oh my god!" Machamp spat while seeing this on the TV, "That can't be it, can it!?" Kala patting the man on the shoulder and sighing, "It might be too early to assume, honey. After all, you and your kind are known for resisting a lot of pain. I'm sure she can get up from this."

Unfortunately, it seemed this might not be the case as Gyarados smirked and said, "Your grandfather may have been a pain in the ass, but you're nowhere near his level," before turning toward a camera and shouting, "Do you see me what I've done for you, Grandpa!? I've gotten revenge on the Mach family, just like you always wanted!"

The crowd stared in confusion as Lairon rose an eyebrow, Torchic blinking and asking, "What's she talking about?" as Nori stated, "Well, it would seem there's more to this match than just a struggle between good and evil. Gyarados has a motive for targeting Machop, but what connection does her family have to hers?"

"Of course the world wouldn't remember," Gyarados remarked with a sigh, "But I do. I've heard this story enough times and have even found the footage of that time forty-seven years ago when the mighty Machamp fought my grandfather and earned his first victory! It left a stain on my family tree for ages, but now I've come to restore its former glory, which my mother was too much of a sap to do!"

At that moment, the crowd gasped when Machop slowly opened her eyes and pushed herself up, breathing heavily and grunting, "I've heard a brief mention of that from Daddy," Gyarados' eyes wide open as Nori stated, "Well, it would seem Machop might very well have her father's genes after all as despite all that damage, she has managed to rise to her feet."

Gyarados gritted her teeth as Machop asked, "Is your grandpa Magikarp?" Gyarados taking a deep breath and replying, "Yes, he is. It's good to know at least someone in this day and age is aware of history."

Hearing this, Machamp blinked and nodded, saying, "Magikarp. That's right, that crown is the same one he used to wear back in the day to make himself feel superior."

Kala blinked and said, "But I don't understand. You and him were on good terms after a year, right? Why would a member of his family want revenge on you for something that's water under the bridge?"

"I'm not sure," Machamp replied, "But I hope Machop can overcome her desire for vengeance."

Back in the ring, Gyarados gritted her teeth and growled, "Grandpa was feared and respected, but then your grandfather came along and ruined his life! He became a sad sack, a loser, a total weakling and all because of him! But I intend to carry on his legacy! After I defeat you, I'll go on and take control of other areas of the world! I'll be worshipped as the greatest villain who ever lived!"

Torchic blinked and uttered, "So all of this is due to a petty grudge?" as Machop seemed to think the same thing, frowning and remarking, "Look, I'm sorry for what happened to your grandpa, but that doesn't mean I'm just gonna sit back and let you harm innocent people!"

The crowd grinned in excitement as she seemed to ignore all the pain dealt earlier, adding, "You may be tough, but my family has a spirit unmatched by many!"

With that, she proceeded to leap toward Gyarados with her arm out, shouting, "I've never been able to learn most of Mama's moves, but this is the exception! MOON HOOK!" sending the arm hard into Gyarados' neck as her eyes and mouth widened, the crowd going wild as she fell on her back.

"And after that big beating earlier, Machop has gotten the advantage back with Gardevoir's first ever finishing move!" Nori exclaimed with a big grin, "The Moon Hook hasn't been seen in years, and while it looks simple on the surface, it requires a great deal of speed and skill for it to deal as much damage as it has over the past!"

With that, Machop leapt atop Gyarados' belly as Lairon's eyes widened, the dinosaur shouting, "HOLD ON, MACHOP, IT'S STILL TOO EARLY TO TRY THAT!" but it was too late as the girl sent her fists forward, Gyarados opening her mouth and biting into her wrists.

Torchic gasped at the sight of this as Gyarados rose back up with Machop's wrist still in her mouth. She then threw her head up, tossing the girl into the air before leaping up to her level, wrapping her arms around her. The crowd watched in terror as the serpent flipped herself one-hundred-and-eighty degrees, descending toward the mat and planting Machop's skull hard against the canvas.

"And just as quickly as Machop's advantage returned, it has once again left her as she walked right into a powerful suplex!" Yuki exclaimed, "Can she recover from this or is this the move that will put her out of commission!?"

"I'll admit, I'm impressed that you were able to get up after taking in my Dragon Dive, but now there's nothing you can do," Gyarados grunted as Lairon stared in horror and asked, "Are you okay?"

Luckily, unlike before, Machop seemed to have taken less damage as she slowly but surely rose to her feet, breathing heavily and patting her cheeks. Gyarados stared at her with irritation and gritted her teeth. She just wanted to end it right there.

But before Machop could continue the match, she took a deep breath and turned her gaze to Lairon, sighing, "I'm sorry, Lairon," the dinosaur blinking as she added, "I got carried away. As much as I would love to win a fight on my own, I have to admit I'm not quite ready for that yet. So if you still have some great advice for me, I'd love to hear it," a light smile on her face.

Lairon grinned and folded his arms, breathing a sigh of relief and saying, "That's all I wanted to hear," before thinking, 'Well, it wasn't like I wasn't prepared for this. I knew she would be a handful, but did she have to cut it so close?'

The crowd was rather confused until the girl turned to Gyarados and sighed, "Gyarados, I may be related to my father, but that doesn't mean I have to fight like him right away. The best thing I can do for myself is take the help that's been offered to me. With Lairon's help, I will stop you and make this my first victory on Earth!"

Torchic smiled and sighed, "Why didn't I realize it sooner? All this time, I thought Machop was just as good as me and the others, but her family has always needed guidance. We all treated this like something to be ashamed of, but it's not. When people are stuck with a problem and have no idea how to overcome it, the best thing they can do is ask for help."

Needless to say, Gyarados was not the least bit happy to hear this as she gritted her teeth, growling, "So you've decided to take his advice again! Big deal! I'll just use something even he can't figure out a way around!"

All went silent among the crowd as Lairon stared in confusion. Everything was made clear soon enough when the tip of Gyarados' tail expanded. However, that expansion soon travelled up toward her head as it started to inflate, more and more added to it as if she was being pumped full of air.

Unfortunately, air was not what was entering her head as once it had expanded to three times its original size, she opened her mouth and unleashed a huge burst of water. Machop's eyes widened as she had no time to react to this, taking the water to her face as it seemed to stop flowing when it reached the edge of the ring.

Everyone stared in confusion as the water rose up, slowly forming a cube that was five times the size of the ring. And with both fighters now submerged, Machop panicked as she puffed up her cheeks, holding her hands up to her mouth and waving her legs in a vain attempt at surfacing. Unfortunately, no matter how hard she tried, this would not work.

Torchic blinked and uttered, "What just happened?" as Nori stated, "In a shocking turn of events, Gyarados has covered the fight area in water. If Machop doesn't surface soon, she might just drown."

'No!' Lairon thought with his teeth gritted, 'Members of the Mach family can't swim! Dammit, she's right! I can't think of a way around this no matter how hard I try!'

Needless to say, it seemed like Machop truly was doomed now. Could she possibly get out of this?


	10. Chapter 10

Just as it seemed things would finally pick up, Machop was now in her worst element after having been submerged in a cube of water. For most land-dwellers, this was already a bad situation to be in, but the Mach family was known for its members being terrible swimmers, so the girl could not have been in a worse spot.

"It would seem Gyarados has decided to use an old tactic to defeat Machop," Nori stated with a look of concern, "During the twenty-second Hero Olympics quarter-finals, Machoke was trapped in a bubble created by Golduck and almost drowned, but he managed to escape. I wonder if his daughter can do the same."

The crowd was uncertain about this as this cube was not exactly like the bubble Golduck formed. And it seemed even Machop had no idea what to do as she panicked and tried waving her arms while facing the surface. Unfortunately, she was barely able to move as Gyarados grinned wickedly.

'This is perfect,' she thought, 'I could just sit back and let her drown, but I want to enjoy my victory and if I let natural causes win this match for me, I won't feel satisfied.'

With that in mind, she swam toward Machop with her mouth wide open and bit into her arm. Machop opened her mouth to let out a cry but only managed to release bubbles, the crowd gasping as Gyarados swam toward the water's surface and emerged from it. Before Lairon could even think of a way out of this, the serpent leaned backward and shouted through clenched teeth, "SHARK TOOTH SUPLEX!" diving back into the water and quickly moving toward the turnbuckle.

Lairon closed his eyes and winced when the back of Machop's neck made contact with the pole, Gyarados removing her teeth as blood flew from the arm she had bitten. Needless to say, the crowd had trouble watching this as the serpent saw that her move had not quite finished the job.

With that in mind, she proceeded to wrap her tail around Machop before sending a hard punch into her face. Yuki bit her lower lip and uttered, "And it would seem this new water ring has only made things worse as Machop's a sitting duck," Gyarados striking the girl with another punch as the woman added, "Not only has she taken a powerful suplex, but now she's taking in an onslaught of punches and can't do a thing about it."

'Oh god, she finally decides to listen to me and I can't think of anything!' Lairon thought with a look of irritation on his face, 'Why didn't I take this into consideration!? If only I knew she had an ability like this!'

However, his train of thought came to an end when he noticed a serious look on Machop's face. Not only was she still conscious despite everything going against her, but she still seemed to have fight in her.

This was made even more clear when Gyarados sent a third punch forward only for the girl to lean her head back, causing the fist to miss her completely. Gyarados' eyes widened as Machop remembered her training the previous day.

During that time, Lairon had her caught in a hold similar to this. Sure, his was nowhere near as strong, but it was similar. When Machop tried to fight his grip, she only ended up making things worse. But then Lairon gave her a hint on how to escape from it and ultimately, she found a way out of the hold.

With that in mind, the girl gritted her teeth and shifting her body back and forth. Gyarados gasped and readied another punch only for Machop to slide upward, freeing herself from the tail. The crowd went wild as Gyarados stared in shock, Machop taking full advantage of this and sending a roundhouse into her cheek.

"WAY TO GO!" Torchic exclaimed with a big grin as Venipede took a deep breath while watching this from the hospital. This felt like a true miracle.

"Excellent work!" Lairon exclaimed with a grin as Machop took full advantage of Gyarados' state, planting her feet into her skull and propelling herself just high enough to reach the surface.

Sure, she was having trouble staying afloat, but at least she was able to catch her breath. But it was not meant to last when Gyarados ignored the pain to her head and gritted her teeth, swimming up toward the girl like a rocket.

"MACHOP, LOOK OUT!" Torchic spat, but Machop was unable to attempt to dodge the serpent as she took hold of her legs, leaping high above the water with the girl still in her grip.

Just as it looked like Gyarados would use another standard slam move, it seemed she had much more planned as she lowered Machop, wrapping her arms around her and growling, "This water ring should have rendered you useless! But even so, I'm gonna make sure this next hit kills you!"

Before Lairon could think of an idea for an escape, he noticed exactly where Gyarados' body was facing as he exclaimed, "OH NO!" the serpent smirking and lowering her body toward the turnbuckle she had tossed her crown onto and said, "Well, it seems your trainer knows exactly what I have in mind."

With that, she dove toward it and shouted, "DRAGON DIVE!" as the crowd stared in horror, Torchic gritting her teeth and cursing, "Dammit! That crown was never removed from that spot!"

Gyarados and Machop soon made contact with the water as they headed toward the crown, Lairon taking a deep breath and looking down. But just as all seemed lost, Machop suddenly realized something she could do. If anything, the hold Gyarados had on her was much more similar to the one Lairon used during training.

With that in mind, she gritted her teeth and mustered up enough strength to spin her body around, Gyarados' eyes widening as the girl loosened herself. As a result, the serpent released her hold on the girl and was too spellbound to stop herself. Thus she ran face-first into the crown, her eyes and mouth wide open as her forehead made contact with the two points closest to that spot.

Small bits of blood trickled out as suddenly, the cube of water started to shake. And sure enough, it seemed the water could no longer stay upright as it soon separated, most of it falling out of the ring and onto the ground surrounding it.

"That's right," Gyarados grunted, "My water ring is only temporary," as Machop grinned and took full advantage of this, racing toward the serpent and binding her arms in place.

The crowd went wild as Lairon stared in shock, uttering, "She actually found a way around it," Machop giving him a warm smile and saying, "Thanks for giving me the idea, Lairon. You're an awesome teacher."

"Not only did Machop escape from certain death, but with the water finally gone, she plans to take full advantage of this moment!" Yuki exclaimed, Nori nodding and adding, "And it looks like she might just have him set up for that amazing finishing move Machoke thought up to make up for the world knowing how to escape from the others!"

It seemed Nori's assumption was correct as Machop leapt high above the ring, Gyarados shouting, "NO! I CAN'T LOSE THIS MATCH!" only for the girl to sigh, "Like I said before, it sucks what happened to your grandpa, but I can't let you take over Tokyo or anywhere else for that matter. It's my job as a hero to stop you."

With that, she proceeded to latch her ankles around the serpent's tail, spinning her body around and flipping herself one-hundred-and-eighty degrees. The crowd went wild as Torchic's eyes sparkled, Lairon saying, "So she does know that ability."

Machop descended toward the mat with Gyarados' face pointed downward, the girl shouting, "MUSCLE TORNADO!" and planting that very spot hard into it.

Gyarados had a look of both shock and agony on her face as she slowly closed her eyes. And with that, Machop released her hold and allowed the serpent to collapse, all going silent as everyone prayed this was it. After all, Machop had come so close to losing.

Venipede had his top hands cupped together while Machamp and Kala watched with anticipation. Garchomp and Eri both stared at the TV screen with intensity while even Lairon was praying for Nori to ring the bell and make this an official win.

And after just the right amount of time, Yuki turned to her mother who nodded her head, the younger woman beaming and ringing the bell. And with that, she exclaimed, "And after a long and intense match, we have us a winner! Congratulations, Machop!"

The crowd broke out into heavy cheering as Machop had the biggest smile on her face, waving her hands to the adoring public while Torchic breathed a sigh of relief and clapped her talons together. Even Lairon could not help but give her a round of applause, a light tear forming in his eye.

However, the cheering came to a halt when Gyarados forced her hands up against the mat, everyone staring in horror as she slowly pushed herself back up, breathing heavily as the holes on her forehead had expanded a bit, more blood trickling down as a result. She could not accept failure, not after coming so close.

"You are just as annoying as I imagined," she growled as Machop trembled and uttered, "Hey, you heard the announcer! You lose! Even if you beat me up right now, Tokyo's not yours!"

"I don't even care about that!" the serpent retorted as she took hold of the girl's arms, Lairon gritting his teeth and clenching his fists, barking, "The match isn't going anymore! There's nothing stopping me from going in there and helping my pupil!" Torchic rising from her seat and adding, "Don't forget me!"

But just as it seemed like their words meant nothing, a much older voice came from the crowd, barking, "STOP, GYARADOS!" the serpent's eyes and mouth wide open as she slowly turned her head. And soon enough, everyone else turned toward the source and could not believe their eyes either.

Exiting the bleachers and approaching the ring were two particular individuals. One was a tall and lanky red carp with a yellow crest atop his head and another on his chin that resembled a beard. And other was a lovely slender white serpent with a pointed head and two long pink bangs of hair attached to her eyebrows. Her tail was also covered in blue and pink scales as she was truly a sight to behold.

Some stared in shock as Yuki's eyes sparkled, the woman squealing, "I know who that is!" pointing at the serpent who had just entered, "That's Milotic! She's a professional Hollywood actress!" Nori nodding and saying, "Oh yeah, most of the films she stars in are crap, but she always turns out the best performance."

The serpent waved to the cheering crowd as even Machop could not believe her eyes. However, her excitement died when Gyarados tensed up, uttering, "Grandpa, did you come to see me win? I'm so sorry, but I promise, I will kill Machop right here and now!"

The carp folded his arms and pinched his forehead, sighing, "For your information, little lady, I did not come to see you defeat Machop," Gyarados blinking before scowling at Milotic and pointing accusingly at her, barking, "I get it! Mother forced you to come here in her private jet, didn't she!?"

"Wait, Milotic's your mama!?" Machop exclaimed, "So you're, like, the daughter of a celebrity! I mean, okay, technically the majority of us are related to celebrities, but not in that sense!"

Needless to say, the crowd was just as shocked by all of this as Nori stated, "What an astonishing reveal. Turns out the famous actress, Milotic, is Gyarados' mother! But what reason does she have for coming here!?"

"I know why she's here!" Gyarados snapped, "You're here to revert me, aren't you!?" Milotic sighing, "Actually, honey, I have tried for so long to teach you how to live a peaceful existence. The fact is, from what I saw today, fighting seems to be your calling."

"So you're not gonna try and turn me into a pacifist?" Gyarados uttered as Torchic uttered, "That's a good point. I know for a fact that you're good, so why would you allow this?"

"Well, I said I'd allow my daughter the choice to fight, but not to fight for the side of evil," Milotic remarked as she folded her arms, Machop nodding and saying, "You know, it would be pretty awesome to have you one our side. You are really strong."

Gyarados blinked and retorted, "Don't agree with her! I almost killed you! You should fear me!"

"Gyarados, stop!" Magikarp snapped, "The truth is, I asked your mother to bring me here today because I want to tell you something! From what I heard from you on the news, you seem to have it in your head that you're doing me some kind of favour by trying to kill the daughter of my former arch-nemesis."

"Well, isn't this what you wanted all those years back?" Gyarados remarked, "You lost everything when Machamp beat you! I saw your old fight footage! You were actually pretty good, and then after that loss, you spent so much time trying to kill Machamp that you never won another fight!"

Lairon folded his arms and said, "You know, I have done a bit of research on Machamp lately and, yeah, that definitely sounds familiar," Magikarp sighing, "Well, I can't deny that, but honey, there's something else you need to know."

Milotic nodded with a warm smile and said, "Go on, Dad, tell her," Magikarp smiling at Gyarados and explaining, "See, my grudge against Machamp only lasted a year. In fact, shortly after the twenty-first Hero Olympics, I actually gained respect for him and not only that, but, well, an old buddy of mine named Roggenrola teamed up with me as we both combined our efforts to help Machamp deal with a great threat."

"Wait, you helped him?" Gyarados replied, Machop and Torchic both really invested now as the carp continued, "It was when Bouffalant appeared and started wreaking havoc along with his seven allies. After defeating the first two, Machamp was unable to continue and thus his friends were left to deal with the remaining allies. Unfortunately, only Combusken had managed to win her match as the others failed miserably, and Scizor would have lost too if we hadn't come in with a secret weapon to save the day."

Gyarados blinked as Magikarp stated, "After that, I actually became friends with Machamp. In other words, the bad blood between us that formed forty-seven years ago has been gone for forty-six," the carp chuckling as Milotic nodded and added, "It's true."

Machop's eyes sparkled as Gyarados stared awkwardly, Magikarp asking, "What say you leave this ring and come home? I'm sure I can convince Beedrill to let you off with a warning. He's a lot more fair than his father," Lairon sighing, "Ain't that the truth?"

Gyarados thought about this as Milotic gave her daughter a sweet smile and said, "I'll prepare your favourite dish when we get back," only for the blue serpent to fold her arms and say, "Actually, there's something else I'd like to do. But, yeah, I'll definitely need a mode of transportation."

With all said and done, Gyarados climbed out the ring to join her folks when she turned to Machop and said, "Sorry for all the trouble I caused," Machop grinning at her and holding her thumb up, saying, "Hey, Daddy always believed in giving his opponents a second chance! I have faith in you!"

The serpent let down a light tear and smiled, saying, "The next time we meet, it'll certainly be on better terms."

With that, Torchic let down a light tear of her own and thought, 'Is this that Mach family magic I've heard so much about? Machop's such an awesome friend,' as even Yuki could not hold back her emotions. She just found this so sweet.

'Machoke's matches often ended like this,' Nori thought with a big smile, 'It's good to see his daughter could very well carry on that legacy.'

And soon enough, things started to improve. It was unknown exactly what had happened to Gyarados just yet, but ultimately, things had turned out for the best.

Venipede and Mantima had both made a full recovery and were celebrating with Machop and Torchic at the club. The girl had even invited Garchomp and Lairon to join in, and seeing as they had never been here before, this was certainly exciting. And sure enough, they were just as into the simplistic atmosphere as the others.

"Here's to Machop's first victory on Earth!" Venipede exclaimed as he rose a glass, all six clinking them together before taking a sip of their drinks, Mantima sighing, "I really wish I could have seen your match. I'm so ashamed."

"It's fine," Machop replied with a grin, patting her on the shoulder, "You did the best you could. In all fairness, I barely made it out of that match alive."

Lairon took another sip of a cocktail he had ordered before smiling at Machop, saying, "Seriously, good job today. I wasn't even able to give you advice back there yet you used my teachings to help win the match."

"You also did an okay job fighting underwater," Torchic added, "I could see your movement slow down, but not as much as it should have."

Machop nodded and sighed, "But seriously, thanks for everything, Lairon. I look forward to learning more from you later on," the dinosaur nodding and giving the girl a sweet smile. Sure, he may have been too old to fight evil, but to be useful in some way was still rewarding.

Soon enough, the group was tired and ready to head home. Machop waved to her friends as she walked with Lairon and Garchomp, Torchic waving back and sprinting home herself. However, Venipede and Mantima had decided to walk home together, though since the mantis' house was closer, she would not be by the centipede's side for long.

"Thank god that's dealt with," Venipede said with a sigh, "Not gonna lie, I was pretty scared."

"Yeah, Machop shouldn't have had to do that," Mantima replied with a look of disappointment, "I know she said I did my best, but if that's my best, am I really fit to be a hero?"

Venipede stared and remarked, "What are you saying?" as the mantis groaned, "Don't lie, I'm not that good. I was knocked out easily and, well, from what I heard, you were able to keep going. I honestly feel lucky that I survived my fight with Voltorb. Sometimes I wonder if I should have even bothered attending Hero School."

"Don't say that," Venipede retorted with a serious look in his eyes, Mantima about to protest when he held his top right hand up to her mouth and added, "You're a lot better than you think you are. Heck, when you fought Voltorb, I saw great potential in you. You took in all of those electric shocks and continued to stand. You could have died when he bound you in place and started that timer, but no, you managed to overpower him and escape. Though you are right that wasn't the most graceful victory, it was still a victory, and I'm sure if you work harder, one day you can achieve the same level of greatness you did when facing Ninetales, maybe even more."

Mantima's eyes sparkled as the centipede implied a smile with his eyes and said, "And to be fair, I kinda need work too. I'm sure you've already noticed it, but I'm not exactly the most confident when I fight either. I get nervous and scared easily, I'm paranoid at times. But I'm sure if I had someone to toughen me up, I might truly be ready to fight evil."

Mantima nodded with a big smile on her face, her cheeks turning red for a second as Venipede suggested, "I was thinking maybe at least an hour a day, the two of us could get together and train. No outside interference, just the two of us. You could help me build confidence and I'll help you build strength. How does that sound?"

Mantima took a deep breath and looked back to all the training her mothers had put her through. It was tough, even brutal at times, and it had helped her a lot but she still did not feel good enough. If anything, she definitely needed more training if she was to be worthy of her position.

With that in mind, she nodded and held out her hand, saying, "I'd like that a lot," Venipede shaking it and saying, "Together, we'll make it big."


	11. Chapter 11

A week had past since the defeat of Gyarados. Needless to say, the citizens of Tokyo were happy to enjoy some peace for a change. And since it would be a while until Lairon could return home and train Machop, the girl decided to use this time to hang out with her friends. After all, now that she had a set schedule, she no longer had a problem with taking a breather every now and then.

Since the group felt like they had spent enough time at the club, they decided to go to a local mall today. Machop was currently looking around when she noticed a clothing store and said, "Hey, guys, I just thought of something."

"What's up?" Venipede asked as the girl replied, "Well, something I noticed from all those photos Daddy took with his friends was that they always wore clothing whenever they hung out. I know it's kind of trivial, especially since we have nothing to cover up like humans do, but I was thinking maybe we could try looking stylish when we hang out."

Mantima blinked and replied, "I probably won't buy anything, but I'll help you guys pick out clothes if you want," the others giving her a confused look as she laughed nervously and added, "See, my mom's a bit of a fashion expert, and her ability to pick out clothing kind of rubbed off on me over the years."

Machop nodded and gave her friend a big grin, replying, "Sweet. Well, come on, gals and guy, let's buy ourselves some clothes," Torchic saying, "A pair of pants would be nice."

But as the chicken and girl walked quickly toward the entrance, Venipede and Mantima took their time as the centipede turned to the mantis. He was just about to point out how nervous she sounded when she gave her explanation but decided not to question it. Not only would it likely ruin their good time but he did not wish to prod his friend for information, especially since they were now training partners.

With that, all four were now in the clothing store as Machop looked around at various different T-shirts. All of them looked so ordinary to her, so she was having a lot of trouble. If anything, she wanted something cool as that sports outfit she had worn for her fight with Voltorb was all she had.

Mantima was looking at another section and signalled her friends over. Machop walked over to the area as the mantis picked up a black T-shirt with a skull on it.

"Is this to your liking?" she asked as Machop's eyes sparkled, the girl squealing, "You really do have an eye for fashion!" before holding the shirt up to her front side and saying, "Well, better try it out."

She then picked up a matching pair of shorts on her way to the changing room without actually looking at it. After all, the shirt was all she really cared about.

Venipede looked over various different shirts and sighed, "I just realized, they don't make shirts for centipedes, do they?" as Mantima tapped her chin and said, "I'll pick something that'll suit you perfectly, but I'm gonna make it a surprise for later, alright? So no peaking."

The centipede nodded and implied a smile with his eyes, saying, "Thanks, Mantima," as the mantis headed off to pick something out.

Torchic, meanwhile, found herself a nice pair of cargo pants and tried them on, saying, "Perfect fit," when Machop exited the changing room and asked, "How do I look?" posing like a supermodel.

"You look awesome," Torchic replied with a big grin as Machop said, "I think I'll just wear these while I pay for them."

However, it seemed it might not be as simple as she first thought when Torchic sighed, "It just occurred to me, you might wanna get more than one shirt. If we're gonna get more casual days like this, you'll need at least five."

"What's the big deal?" Machop remarked, "I'll just wear this shirt everyday," as Torchic narrowed her eyes and shook her head, saying, "Come on, we're gonna find you some more shirts."

And soon enough, the heroes were ready to pay as they came to a counter, many shirts laid out as a young girl with pink hair in a ponytail smiled and asked, "Will that be everything?"

Machop nodded as the pink-haired girl's eyes and mouth widened, the heroes staring at her as Torchic asked, "Are you okay, Miss?"

"Oh my god!" the pink-haired girl exclaimed as she stared at the group, all of them confused until a big grin formed on her face as she squealed, "Oh my god, you're Machop! You are so cool!"

Machop blinked as a grin of her own formed, the girl rubbing the back of her head and saying, "Nice to meet a fan," only for the pink-haired girl to cut in, exclaiming, "I saw you beat up Gyarados last week! That was awesome! It looked like you were gonna die, but then-"

"Enough, Eiko," came a masculine voice as a boy who looked to be around Machop's age entered the area and sighed, "Do you want Izumi to yell at you again?"

This boy had a slightly bulky build to him but was still thin. His hair was brown and messy and he had a scar on his right cheek. The boy scratched the back of his head and sighed, "Sorry about my sister. She can be a bit of a chatterbox."

"You're just jealous that I don't give you this much attention, Isamu!" Eiko retorted before sticking out her tongue, the boy groaning, "Oh god, if you're gonna work part-time with me, you may as well try to grow up."

"In all honestly, we don't have a problem with her," Torchic replied as the boy blinked and said, "Oh, you're those non-humans I keep hearing about."

"Yeah, and that's Machop!" Eiko squealed as she pointed at the reptilian girl, Machop grinning and giving a light wave as Isamu blinked and asked, "Who was that again?"

"Wait, what!?" Machop retorted with a look of confusion, the boy not seeming to know who the others were either as Eiko sighed, "Sorry about my brother. He's out of touch with reality."

"No, I just don't have time to watch the same things you do," Isamu retorted as Torchic uttered, "Still, you must have heard of us at some point. We're all over the news."

Venipede twiddled his hands and uttered, "Well, he probably doesn't know who I am. I don't think many do," Eiko replying, "No way, everyone knows about how you bravely stood up to Gyarados," the centipede's eyes wide open as he asked, "Is that how they're putting it?"

Mantima rolled her eyes and sighed, "Can we just finish this purchase already?" Isamu groaning, "Thank you, someone who actually agrees that this conversation is a waste of time!"

"Wait, that's not what I implied at all," the mantis retorted as Machop held her hands against her hips, asking, "And how have you not heard of us? Even if you don't watch TV, surely you've read a newspaper at some point."

"Yeah, but I don't read about things like that," Isamu remarked, "Everyone says I should because it's life and death, but how many of these supposed villains have ever actually succeeded in taking over the areas they attack? Every one of these stories is the same thing. Villain attacks and gets beaten. Maybe when the heroes finally lose, then I'll actually give a shit."

Machop gritted her teeth as Eiko sighed, "Like I said, he doesn't care about real life," the boy retorting, "I care about real life! I just couldn't care less about wrestling!"

He then cleared his throat and sighed, "Sorry, that was unprofessional. Eiko, scan their clothes and let them be on their way," as the pink-haired girl pouted and grumbled, "Fine," the boy headed into the back as Machop folded her arms and growled, "That was so rude."

Mantima nodded and replied, "I understand trying to help run a business and all that, but he treated us like we were imposing on him or something," Eiko sighing, "Yeah. I keep trying to get him to watch one of these matches and see just how exciting they can be, but he always refuses."

"Wait, you mean he's never seen a match in his life?" Torchic asked, "He should at least try it before he trashes it," Venipede uttering, "Who cares what one person thinks?"

The others went silent before nodding and deciding this was no longer worth talking about. However, Machop would not forget about this any time soon. The fact that this guy treated good versus evil struggles like a typical, everyday sporting event really got under her skin.

Either way, it seemed the group had at least hit it off well with Eiko as Torchic asked, "Hey, when are you and your brother off work?" the girl replying, "I get off at one. Why do you ask?"

"You seem cool, so we'd like you to hang out with us," Machop replied with a grin as the pink-haired girl's eyes sparkled. Thus she squealed with delight and exclaimed, "A million times yes!" as Isamu retorted, "Quiet, sis! I'm trying to organize the new shipments!"

And soon enough, the group was done exploring the mall when Eiko's shift ended, the biggest grin on her face as she squealed, "I still can't believe I'm gonna hang out with my heroes!" the others chuckling before joining the pink-haired girl on a trip out of the mall.

But just as they reached the exit, a certain boy approached them from behind and said, "Hold on, I'm coming with you," the group turning to see Isamu standing there and folding his arms, adding, "Don't get the wrong idea. I really couldn't care less about being seen with a group of heroes. I just wanna make sure you're good company for my sister."

Machop frowned until Venipede nodded and whispered, "He's a good brother, I'll give him that."

And sure enough, the boy was now walking with the group as Machop said, "Well, I got three hours until training. What do you guys wanna do until then?" all of them turning to Eiko who held her hands behind her back and said, "Hey, I'm up for whatever you wanna do."

"Well, we were trying to avoid this today, but then again, you've probably never been to the Tokyo Day Club before," Machop said with a grin as Isamu quickly dashed in front of them with his arms out, the boy barking, "Before you even think of taking my sister to a club, I need to know what kind of place it is!"

"For god's sake, it's a day club, not a nightclub!" Eiko retorted as Torchic nodded and said, "Yes, if you're worried about your sister drinking alcohol, don't worry. They have a wide assortment of fruit punch flavors on their menu as well."

Isamu nodded and said, "Alright, but if any of you try to spike her drink, I don't care if you have powers or not. I will kick your asses."

"Geez, extreme much?" Machop uttered with a look of discomfort as Eiko folded her arms and remarked, "I'm sure they wouldn't do that, Isamu. Stop being such a worrywart."

And soon enough, the group was seated at the club as the owner came by and said, "Here you go, for my favourite visitors and their friends," handing each hero fruit punch save for Mantima's usual beer.

Before Eiko could take a sip of her drink, Isamu took hold of it and sniffed it before nodding and saying, "No drugs in there," handing it to her as Machop uttered, "He can smell drugs? Even the ones that are supposed to be odourless?"

Eiko nodded and sighed, "He gets carried away with it sometimes," the boy taking a sip of his own drink and nodding, saying, "That's good fruit punch. I'll admit, this was actually a good idea."

Machop folded her arms as Torchic asked, "What's wrong? He just said something nice," the girl remarking, "Yeah, but he said it with surprise and disdain," Venipede and Mantima not even bothering to bring up the fact that Machop should have seen that coming.

Eiko then looked around at all the pool tables, Isamu shaking his head and sighing, "You know I'd never let you play pool, right?" Mantima giving him an awkward look as Eiko sighed, "He thinks the pool cue will take my eye out," the group even more confused.

Either way, Machop turned toward the karaoke machine and said, "Surely you don't have a problem with that," Isamu's eyes widening as he replaced his look with a light smile, saying, "Now that I can get behind."

Machop breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Thank god. For a second there, I thought he'd get up and ask the owner if there are songs with swear words on it," as Eiko shook her head and replied, "I'm sixteen. He's okay with me saying swear words. It's just anything that'll hurt me that worries him."

Machop blinked and shrugged her shoulders, saying, "So he is just a responsible older brother. I thought maybe he just hated us and was looking for any excuse in the book to keep us away from you," Mantima adding, "Honestly, I was leaning more toward him being a stick in the mud."

Soon enough, Isamu was in front of the karaoke machine as he uttered, "I haven't done this in a while, so forgive me if I'm a little rusty," as he picked out a popular song known as 'Ii Yu Da Na'.

Machop noticed this and said, "I never would have imagined a boy picking that song," Eiko nodding and saying, "He's kinda weird that way. He acts all grumpy a lot of the time, but he really likes upbeat and happy songs."

As the song started up, Isamu started to sing along with it as Machop smiled and said, "I'm just glad he's finally having fun."

However, her smile turned to sheer amazement when she took the time to really listen to him. While his speaking voice was low and gruff, it worked really well when he was singing. A part of her was tempted to get up and join him, her cheeks turning pink as she bit her lower lip, thinking, 'What's wrong with me!? This guy's boring!'

However, she could not take her eyes off him right now. He was not exactly handsome and he had given off so many bad impressions in less than an hour, yet seeing him enjoy himself and hearing him sing gave Machop a very odd feeling, one she could not describe.

Once he was finished, the group applauded him, Machop saying, "I have to admit, you have some serious chops."

"Uh, thanks, I guess," Isamu replied while scratching the side of his head and blushing lightly, Eiko laughing and saying, "He doesn't handle praise very well."

However, during all of this, the group failed to notice a pair of eyes gazing upon them from the window. However, they did not remain there for long as the owner of the eyes ducked down before anyone could look in that direction.

And after an hour, the group decided it was time to head off as Machop said, "I should probably head home early so I can be there before Lairon," Eiko smiling and saying, "That was a lot of fun. We should try this again."

"Yes, I actually approve of this place," Isamu replied with his arms folded, Machop smiling and asking, "So does that mean we can hang out with your sister without you having to watch over her?"

"I'll need to maybe join her a few more times just to be sure," Isamu remarked as Eiko groaned, "Dammit, Isamu, just admit they're good people!"

Torchic chuckled nervously and said, "Well, we'll see you guys around," Venipede nodding and adding, "Yeah, Mantima and I have some training to do."

With that, the rest of the heroes left the area as the eyes from earlier peered out from behind a bush, the owner thinking, 'Perfect. Now her friends can't help her.'

Eiko bowed her head and asked, "Same time tomorrow?" Machop nodding and replying, "If we're not busy. This peace probably won't last forever."

But just as Isamu and Eiko were about to take their leave, the owner of the eyes leapt out from behind the bush and headed toward the pink-haired girl. Isamu noticed this and stood in front of her, shouting, "EIKO, RUN!" only for a giant lobster claw to take hold of him, the boy wincing in pain.

Eiko let out a terrified scream and fell on her rear end, backing away as she trembled, Machop gritting her teeth and growling, "Who do you think you are, you bastard!?"

The creature turned toward her to reveal himself to be a big red lobster with small eyeballs set in sockets that were twice as big. He had a large star attached to his forehead and two blue V-shaped stripes on his throat. Along with the regular set of claws, he also had two small claws located on his lower body along and big feet that resembled that of a dinosaur.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Machop!" the lobster stated with a fiendish grin, "My name is Crawdaunt! I've wanted to face you for some time, but I needed the right hostage to motivate you!"

"Hey, put him down!" the girl retorted, "Your quarrel is with me!" only for the lobster to smirk and remark, "No, I think I'll make this more interesting. If you can beat me in a fight, I'll spare his life, but lose and I'll add his head to my collection," the lobster snapping his free claw threateningly.

"NO, PLEASE DON'T KILL MY BROTHER!" Eiko pleaded with tears in her eyes as Crawdaunt retorted, "I won't kill him if Machop wins," the boy gritting his teeth and growling, "How are you gonna fight with only one free arm!?"

"That's easy," Crawdaunt replied as he dropped what looked like a miniature ring in front of his feet. He then reached behind his back and pulled out a small vial of water, applying one drop to the ring as it started to expand in size, nearby citizens stopping their business to look at this.

One of the turnbuckles was a big cross, Crawdaunt placing Isamu up against it as two shackles locked him in place, the boy gritting his teeth and struggling to free himself. Eiko was truly frightened until Machop gave her a reassuring smile, saying, "Don't worry, I'll free your brother. You can count on it."

Eiko's eyes sparkled as she let down more light tears, sniffing, "Please do. I know we don't always get along, but I don't know what I'd do if he died."

While Isamu was happy to see his sister okay, he still felt like he needed to be there for her. As such, he gave Machop a serious look and said, "You'd better win this match, got it!?" the girl sticking her tongue out at him and retorting, "Who do you think you're talking to?" though a part of her was nervous about fighting without Lairon there to give her advice.

Even so, she had to do this for Eiko and Isamu's sake. Not only that, but one could only guess what else Crawdaunt could do if he was allowed to escape. There was no way Machop could risk failure.


	12. Chapter 12

With Isamu bound to the upper-left turnbuckle, things had certainly gotten intense as Crawdaunt gazed upon Machop with his claws at the ready. The girl glared angrily at him as the citizens in the area gathered around to watch the fight unfold. After all, it was not particularly common for people to witness a match outside of an arena.

Eiko smiled and said, "I know you can save my brother, Machop," the girl grinning and giving the pink-haired girl a thumb up.

Crawdaunt took full advantage of this as he charged toward the girl, Isamu shouting, "MACHOP, PAY ATTENTION!" only for Crawdaunt to swing the blunt side of his left claw into the back of her head.

The girl gritted her teeth and tried to ignore the pain only for Crawdaunt to latch onto her shoulders, saying, "Word to the wise, never turn you back to your opponent," the lobster lifting her up over his head with his tail raised.

Isamu gritted his teeth when Machop's face was slammed against the tail, Crawdaunt shouting, "LOBSTER TAIL SUPLEX!" the girl grunting in pain as threw his arms forward, sending her flying into the turnbuckle.

The people all gasped as Machop rubbed her head, groaning, "That was so unfair," before thinking, 'This is what Lairon told me about. Of course a villain wouldn't care if I'm prepared or not. What was I thinking!?'

Isamu's eye twitched as he snapped, "Dammit, Machop, you did that on purpose, didn't you!?" the girl turning toward him and retorting, "WHAT!?" as Crawdaunt once again took advantage of the distraction, bending down and charging toward her with his star aimed at her cheek.

Eiko spat, "MACHOP, LOOK OUT!" only for the girl to receive a fierce headbutt to the spot Crawdaunt had aimed for, the lobster shouting, "SHOOTING STAR BULLET!"

The girl fell hard on her side, coughing up a small amount of blood as the people gasped, Isamu gritting his teeth and barking, "Is this to teach me a lesson, not to be so carefree about your line of work or something like that!?"

"No, I'm not doing this on purpose!" Machop snapped, "Why would I!? The only reason I've taken in damage is because of-" only for Crawdaunt to cut her off by striking her on the back of the head with his right claw.

He then proceeded to turn around, saying, "I have to say, this is disappointingly easy," before slapping her repeatedly across the face with his tail, shouting, "LOBSTER TAIL WHIP!"

Machop coughed up more blood as she took in one hit after another, the people all concerned as Eiko gritted her teeth. She wanted to scold her brother right now, but at the same time, she knew she was just as much to blame for this as he was. She had distracted Machop first, and the last thing she needed was for more distractions.

Unfortunately, it seemed that even if Machop had complete focus, she could still very well lose as Crawdaunt lifted her up by the middle ridge on her head. He had a big grin on his face as he said, "I can't believe you actually managed to defeat Gyarados. Your father may have been something, but you're just a pale imitation. Hell, I should have known just from looking at you how weak you'd be. After all, every other member of your family has big muscles and you don't."

With that, the lobster hurled her toward the turnbuckle as Machop thought, 'Dammit, what would Lairon do!?' the girl suddenly remembering a training exercise involving him setting up a pole in the back yard to represent a turnbuckle and hurling her toward it.

Machop's eyes widened as she thought, 'Right,' Isamu quite impressed when she threw her right arm forward and took hold of the pole. She then proceeded to swing herself around it before releasing her hold and flying toward Crawdaunt, sending a hard kick into his chest.

Crawdaunt backed up and smirked, saying, "Well, finally you start to put up a fight," Isamu breathing a sigh of relief and saying, "Thank god, you're taking this seriously now."

Unfortunately, this seemed to get on Machop's nerves as she was just about to chew him out. But just as she was about to do so, Isamu sighed, "Okay, okay, sorry."

The girl's eyes widened as the boy added, "Look, I realize that hit you took in earlier was my fault. I distracted you when my life was on the line, and I really shouldn't have done that. And seeing Crawdaunt in action, I realize just how threatening these villains can be."

"So, you finally take my line of work seriously?" Machop asked with a smirk, "You realize just how difficult it is?" Isamu nodding and saying, "Yeah, and I have to admit, that counter you just used was pretty cool," a light grin on his face as he added, "Go on, show me some more miracles."

Eiko's eyes sparkled as Crawdaunt charged toward Machop, saying, "There you go, ignoring me again."

With that, he once again latched onto her shoulders and said, "You really need to stop looking away," before lifting her up with his tail raised and shouting, "LOBSTER TAIL SUPLEX!"

But just as Machop's face was about to make contact, she gritted her teeth and spat, "I DON'T CARE HOW MUCH THIS HURTS ME! IT'S BETTER THAN TAKING YOUR TAIL TO THE FACE AGAIN!" throwing her arms outward as they made contact with that very spot, preventing her face from hitting it.

Moving her arms certainly caused her shoulders to bleed a bit, but as long as her arms were still intact, she could keep going. And with that in mind, the girl latched her legs around Crawdaunt's neck and used all her might to flip him over her, sending the back of his head into the turnbuckle. This caused him to wince in pain as he released his hold on the girl, Machop breathing a sigh of relief and keeping her distance, remembering exactly what happened when she tried to take advantage of Gyarados when she was on her back.

Isamu's eyes and mouth were wide open, but when Machop turned to face him, he cleared his throat and put on a more serious look, nodding his head in approval. This was good enough for the girl as she gave him a thumb up, Crawdaunt rubbing the back of his head and scowling at her.

"Okay, now I can see that you might just be worthy of the family name after all," he grunted before racing toward Machop. However, she was ready this time as when he got close, she took hold of his wrists and leaned backward, using both feet to propel him high above the ring.

Isamu stared in shock as he thought, 'Are all heroes able to do that? This defies gravity itself!' as Machop raced toward the rope and leapt atop it, bouncing off of it and flying toward the lobster.

Eiko's eyes sparkled as she squealed, "OH MY GOD, I'VE HEARD STORIES ABOUT THIS!" as Machop tucked herself into a ball, thinking, 'Some may know how to counter this move, but out of all of Daddy's finishers, this one's my favourite.'

With that, she spun vertically into Crawdaunt's back before retracting to a more normal state. She then reached her arms and legs back, taking hold of Crawdaunt's wrists and ankles before pulling hard enough for both to be in an arch formation.

The lobster's eyes went wide with terror as Machop started to spin, forming a red and blue wheel in the air before descending toward the mat, thinking, 'I gotta get the timing just right. Daddy always managed to pull this off,' as soon enough, the two were close enough for Crawdaunt's belly to hit the mat hard.

His eyes nearly popped out of their sockets as Machop placed a firm grip on the back of his head, slamming his face against the canvas and shouting, "SUNSET SLAM!"

With that, Crawdaunt's eyes rolled to the side of his head as is arms and legs were spread out. And thus it seemed he was down for the count as the citizens cheered and applauded Machop, the girl raising her arms high in the air with a big open-mouth smile, thinking, 'I can't believe it! I fought logically and won without Lairon's advice!'

Isamu was truly amazed now. He had never seen anything like this before. The only wrestling matches he had ever witnessed were those between humans, where all of the moves were normal and no one could defy gravity. And just from this one match, he could tell that these hero battles were a lot more intense and much more entertaining, but most of all, they were more serious.

And with Crawdaunt defeated, his shackles came open as he fell. Luckily, Eiko was nearby as she climbed into the ring and caught him, tears welling up in her eyes as she bit her lower lip and cried, "I was so scared, Isamu! I thought you were gonna die!"

Isamu rolled his eyes as the pink-haired girl set him down, the boy giving her a light hug and reassuringly saying, "There, there, I'm fine now," before turning his gaze toward Machop and adding, "And it's all thanks to her."

Machop blushed lightly, though she was unsure why as she laughed nervously, Isamu grinning and saying, "You know what? You guys are alright."

"So you mean we can hang out with your sister without you worrying about her?" Machop asked as the boy shrugged and replied, "Well, I'm still gonna tag along, but only because I want to, not because I feel like I have to."

This response was even better than the girls could have asked for as they grinned and squealed with excitement, Eiko exclaiming, "This is so cool! Wait'll I tell all my friends at school that I'm hanging out with the heroes of Tokyo!"

And with all said and done, Machop was ready to head home. The ring had been shrunken back to size as authorities from Hero Planet were called up to apprehend Crawdaunt.

Needless to say, Isamu was beyond grateful as he bowed his head, saying, "I'll see you again soon, eh, Machop?" the girl giving him a light smile and nodding as she replied, "Yeah. See you later."

The girl then turned around to head back home. As impressive as defeating an enemy on her own was, she had still come close to failure and would certainly need to train harder if she was to avoid close calls like that.

During this time, Venipede and Mantima had just finished a sparring match in Mantima's back yard as both breathed heavily, the mantis saying, "I have to admit, Venipede, you're really strong. But unfortunately, you still seem to hold back."

The centipede let out a sigh and replied, "It's because I don't wanna hurt you. I know you're okay with me doing so, but-" Mantima shaking her head and remarking, "Look, I need to toughen up, and part of that involves me developing a higher resistance to pain. I can't do that if you're afraid of hurting me."

"Right," Venipede replied as the two started another sparring match, the centipede charging toward the mantis only for her to easily dodge, sending a roundhouse into his side.

She then frowned and thought, 'Wait, I know,' before barking, "YOU CALL THAT TRYING, YOU WORTHLESS MAGGOT!?"

Venipede stared with his eyes wide open as she spat, "Yeah, you heard me! I don't even know why I asked you to train with me! You're nothing but a loser and a coward who will never get anywhere in life! I heard your mother was amazing, but you're nothing more than a grotesque stain on your family tree! You may as well give up and go home!"

She knew her words were harsh, but she really hoped this would work. And it seemed this was the case as Venipede narrowed his eyelids and spat, "I AM NOT A LOSER!" before rolling up into a ball and flying toward Mantima, shouting, "CENTIPEDE STEAMROLLER!"

The mantis was ready to dodge when he stuck an arm out, hooking her neck and knocking her on her back. He then retracted from his ball-like state and flipped her over, crawling onto her back and wrapping his arms and legs around her, pulling on her chin like he did to Gyarados.

After a few seconds, he blinked and gasped, "Oh my god, are you okay!?" as Mantima nodded and grunted, "I'm fine! Don't loosen this hold for a second!" the centipede nodding and asking, "Oh, you were trying to motivate me, weren't you?"

"Yeah," the mantis replied, "Be honest, did I go too far?" Venipede sighing, "Well, it did hurt, but it helped," as he tightened his hold, Mantima smiling and grunting, "Happy to be of service!"

During this time, a group of cloaked figures were headed into a cave on the outskirts of Tokyo, namely Nippara Limestone Cave. There were four in total and whatever they were up to could not be good.

"So, you're sure it's somewhere in this cave," one of them asked as one with tentacles under her cloak replied, "Yes, it's somewhere in here. We just need to look hard enough."

As such, the group entered the cave and looked through various places. And after a half-hour, one of the figures noticed a single stone that stood out from all the others. This one glowed green briefly before changing orange, switching back and forth every few seconds.

"I think we've found it," the figure with the tentacles stated before turning to another who grinned and unleashed a set of claws from under her cloak, saying "Leave this to me."

With that, she planted them hard into the sides of the stone formation and shifted them around to form a circle. Then when she felt the material start to loosen, she pried it out of the wall and said, "I hope they don't mind us removing this from Japan's loveliest cave."

At that moment, another reached out what appeared to be a green leaf from under her cloak and took hold of the stone, asking, "Where were we supposed to take it again?" the one with the tentacles replying, "We don't need to take it anywhere. Just place it on the ground."

The leafy figure nodded and set the stone down as a tall one nodded and lifted his foot up, revealing it to be made of blue stone with red gems representing a toe. And after a few seconds, he sent the foot crashing down on the stone but made sure not to apply too much pressure. After all, he did not wish to crush it.

With that, small cracks formed along the stone as the others stared in wonder. Strangely enough, music seemed to come from the cracks as they all touched each other, the stone falling into small pieces as what appeared to be a tiny girl stood there with her hands cupped together and held up to her heart. It seemed the music came from her as she was currently singing.

"This is supposed to be the legendary demon girl?" the clawed figure uttered when suddenly, a bright light surrounded the girl and thus her body grew until she was five feet and six inches tall.

This girl was a real sight to behold. Her long green hair flowed and had streaks that resembled sheet music with blue dots representing musical notes. She had bright blue eyes that resembled whole notes while atop her head was a matching jewel on her forehead. Her torso was black with a green belt-like formation on her midsection and resembled a short blouse. Her arms were shaped just like quarter notes and on the side of her head was a black headpiece that resembled a treble cleft. Her head and legs were white as her feet were more like tips.

While she was taller now, the others were still not sure about this until the figure with the tentacles bowed her head and said, "It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Meloetta," before signalling the others to follow her example, all of them taking a bow as well, though they were unsure of why they were doing this in the first place.

It seemed the girl before them did not realize this either as she asked, "Where am I?" looking around with confusion, "It's so dark in here. I don't like the dark."

"She's scared of the dark," the clawed figure grumbled only for the one with the tentacles to smack the back of her head before rising up and saying, "Miss Meloetta, you have been trapped in this cave for hundreds of years, but do not fret for my associates and I have freed you from your prison."

Meloetta's eyes widened as she squeaked, "Oh yeah, now I remember! Those mean people chased me out of town and had a wizard cast a spell on me!" the green-haired girl holding onto the sides of her head and whimpering, "They thought I was a monster."

"Well, she certainly has the motivation," the leafy figure whispered as the one with tentacles nodded and replied, "That's why I figured she could help us with our goal."

With that, she placed a tentacle against her shoulder and said, "We know what it's like to be judged for being different. We are not human either, as you can see," the figure flashing her left tentacle in front of Meloetta's face, the girl nodding as she stared.

"You see, we hide ourselves in these cloaks because if we revealed our true forms, people would attack us without hesitation," the figure explained, "Humans are so judgemental and horrible, and that is why we need your help. We have heard that you possess great power. Is this true?"

"Well, I was always told that growing up," Meloetta said before biting her lower lip, "But are you asking me to hurt people?"

"Well, hopefully we won't have to resort to that," the figure replied, "See, our wish is to create a world where humans and creatures like us can get along, and I'm sure you would love to help us form such a reality, yes?"

Meloetta's eyes sparkled as she nodded with a wide smile on her face, squealing, "I would love that more than anything," the other figures grinning in response to this.

"But I won't have to hurt anyone, will I?" the girl added as the figure sighed, "There are no guarantees. Ideally, you shouldn't have to, but there might be circumstances that will leave you with little choice. See, things have changed a little bit as humans no longer fear our kind but instead see us as tools."

"Tools?" Meloetta uttered as the clawed figure nodded and sighed, "Yeah, see, government officials recognize the powers we have been given, abilities humans do not possess, and have decided to take advantage of that. As such, they buy members of our kind for a hefty price and in exchange, they have to fight against us with free will to prevent us from overthrowing them. Each area has at least a couple of them fighting to protect the humans who made you suffer so much, but let me tell you, their work is not appreciated."

"It's not?" Meloetta squeaked as the leafy figure sighed, "See, they turn it into a sporting event. They host these fights live for the world to see and hold them in arenas for people to gather around and watch, just like cockfights only much more brutal."

"That's horrible!" Meloetta whimpered, "Why doesn't anyone speak up against this!?" the figure with the tentacles explaining, "It's because they have these chips planted into their brains that will shock and kill them if they ever so much as think about turning on the humans that purchased them. We won't be able to remove the chips, but if we take control, we can make sure those devices that were built to shock them are never used."

"There is a chance you might have to fight some of these beings in order to stop them," the clawed figure explained, "Are you willing to do that? It will result in you having to use violence."

Meloetta bit her lower lip and took a deep breath, nodding and putting on a more serious look. She wanted more than anything to end the conflict between humans and other-worldly creatures and with that in mind, she stated, "I don't want to fight, but if it's necessary, I will. I'll stand by you every step of the way."

"Well, you heard her," the figure with the tentacles said, "What say we introduce ourselves?" and thus all four removed their cloaks.

The one with the tentacles had a grand total of fourteen. Six were used for her feet while the rest she used for arms. She had a tall black torso and the top of her head was blue and shaped like a jellyfish. She had two large red crystal spheres on the sides of her head and a smaller one in the center. With two blue beak-like appendages coming from the front and back of her neck, this jellyfish introduced herself as Tentacruel.

The big one was a blue golem with a torso that resembled a half-diamond with a more rounded bottom. His feet were shaped like cones and were attached to grey arms. His arms and hands were very similar, only he had four red gems coming out of the ends for fingers. On the sides of his head were two gems that resembled ears with a long, pointy one going along the middle of his head. With yellow eyelids and red eyes in the middle, this golem was known as Gigalith.

The one with the big white claws was a slender bluish-black weasel-like cat. She had one normal ear and red one that was five times bigger and also happened to be a feather. She had a yellow oval-shaped gem on her forehead and another one her chest, two claws on her feet and three long pink tail feathers. She quickly introduced herself as Sneasel.

The final figure was plant-like girl with a scarlet flower on the left side of her head. In the middle of the flower were golden filaments that resembled a crown. Under the flower were dark-green leaves with light-green ones under those that represented her hair. Two hung from the sides of her head to resemble locks while a long leaf flowed down the back of her head. Her head and midsection were white and she had a lovely pair of orange eyes shaped like droplets. She had two long leaves for arms and a golden sepal around her neck. She also had a dress made up of tulip-shaped leaves and her feet looked more like pointy golden shoes. Her name was Lilligant.

After the introductions were out of the way, Meloetta bowed her head and said, "It's very nice to meet you," as Tentacruel grinned wickedly and said, "It's wonderful to have you on our side, Miss Meloetta."

And with that, the group was ready to exit the cave and head back to Tokyo. Needless to say, the people were in trouble.


	13. Chapter 13

It seemed the humans would have a little bit longer to enjoy some peace and quiet as Tentacruel had chosen not to initiate her plan just yet. Instead, she decided to show Meloetta around and let her know what the world was like after hundreds of years. But at the same time, she fully intended to make all advancements seem like a bad thing.

"Wow, these buildings are so big," the girl uttered as she looked around the city, now dressed in a cloak like the others, Sneasel nodding and saying, "Yeah, humans decided to make their houses bigger so they could feel superior to everyone else. In fact, creatures like us are forced to live in smaller homes, like that one," walking by the Mach family shack and pointing at it.

"Funny, that shack looks familiar," Lilligant whispered as Gigalith shrugged, the flower girl nodding and saying, "Yeah, it's probably not important."

Meloetta stretched her hand out and whimpered, "That's horrible. Whoever lives there should be allowed to live somewhere nicer."

They walked by a local arena later as Tentacruel pointed at it and said, "This is where they host those barbaric fights. Luckily, we've set up our own fight area, so if we ever come across those being manipulated, we won't have to fight in such a horrible location."

Meloetta nodded and uttered, "I still really hope we won't have to do that," as Sneasel replied, "Even if we do, we've heard there are only four in this area like us. As such, we'll make sure you won't have to lift a finger, but if any of us is defeated, well..."

"I understand," Meloetta replied with a nod and a serious look in her eyes, Sneasel turning to Tentacruel and whispering, "Is she really just a last-minute resort if we can't beat the heroes of Tokyo?"

"No," the jellyfish replied, "Trust me, she has an amazing power that I intend to draw out. If we can make her angry enough with the world, she won't be able to control herself and will likely unleash it. It's a devastating power that can destroy entire cities and bring buildings to ruin. The people will have no choice but to give us control over everything."

As the group carried on, Meloetta looked at the many stores and said, "There's certainly a lot of neat things. If only we were allowed to purchase these," before noticing a store that sold electronics. And when she peered through the window, she noticed a display of headsets.

"You see those?" Tentacruel asked, "Humans saw yours and decided to duplicate it," Meloetta's eyes sparkling as she asked, "So they like something about me?"

Sneasel shook her head and replied, "No, they just saw it was a useful tool and made it so if a human sees a creature like us that hasn't been manipulated, it'll release sound waves that will render the citizen powerless for a few seconds."

"That sounds awful," Meloetta whimpered, "They should try to be friends with us. I really hope your plan works, Tentacruel," the jellyfish nodding and replying, "I'm sure it will."

During this time, the group walked by the fence next to Garchomp and Lairon's back yard. Meloetta heard sounds coming from there as she peered over the edge, her eyes wide open as she squeaked, "What are those two doing!?"

Sure enough, Machop and Lairon were currently training as the girl was caught in a figure-four leg lock, Tentacruel resting a tentacle on Meloetta's shoulder and shaking her head. She then let out a sigh and said, "That's just disgusting. In order to make sure those being controlled can beat us, the government forces them to fight each other so they can build up strength and dexterity. In theory, it sounds like they're doing us a favour, but they're only doing it for their own benefit."

Sneasel, Gigalith and Lilligant simply stared at this with curiosity. Like most villains, they new full well who Machop was and thus it was a bit surprising to see her sparring with someone as well known as Lairon.

Tentacruel tapped them all on the shoulders and signalled them to carry on, Meloetta frowning and saying, "You're right about everything, Tentacruel. I'll do everything I can to make sure you succeed. Even if it means fighting one of my own, I'll tough it out."

"I knew you'd see things our way," Tentacruel replied with a big smile, "Because we're gonna have to gain the attention of the citizens if they're to take us seriously. Unfortunately, we do have to resort to something a bit underhanded to make sure they notice us."

"We don't have to kill anyone, do we?" Meloetta whimpered as Sneasel just about lost her cool only for Tentacruel to sigh, "Hopefully, we won't have to go that far, but it will involve us threatening children."

Meloetta's eyes and mouth were wide with shock as she gulped, realizing she would have to swallow her pride. As such, she took a deep breath and nodded, saying, "As long as you don't hurt them, I'll do it," the others shocked by how easy that was.

Soon enough, Lairon was finished training as he breathed heavily, saying, "I have to say, Machop, I'm really proud of you. To think you actually beat a villain by yourself today. You're already getting close to your father's level."

"You think so?" Machop asked as her eyes sparkled, the dinosaur nodding and saying, "Keep this up and you'll be winning championships just like he did."

The girl nodded as Garchomp opened the door and said, "Hey, you two, dinner's ready," Lairon and Machop grinning before heading inside. At the very least, today felt like a success for the girl.

Unfortunately, it seemed as if this would not last as Tentacruel and the others stood before an orphanage, the jellyfish saying, "Now remember, we'll each take one kid hostage, but don't hurt any of them," Meloetta nodding with big, sparkly eyes.

Sneasel rubbed her temple and groaned, "If she wasn't with us, we probably wouldn't have to hold back," Gigalith shaking his head at her as she growled, "I heard that."

Meloetta turned to look at them as Tentacruel sighed, "Stop arguing, you two. We have a job right now," though she also gave them a look that said 'Keep it down' while directing her eyes toward Meloetta.

With that out of the way, Tentacruel walked over to the door and knocked on it. After half-a-minute, a middle-aged woman opened the door and said, "Hello. What can I do for you?"

"You can let us in for starters," Sneasel said with a smirk as she lashed out her claws, all five creatures removing their cloaks as the woman threw her arms outward, taking hold of the sides of the doorway and barking, "I won't let you harm a hair on the children!"

Meloetta was starting to feel a touch guilty as Sneasel leapt over the woman, landed behind her and held her left claws up to her neck, using the other set to hold the top of her head in place. With the caretaker unable to defend herself, she had no choice but to allow the others to pass as Sneasel said, "Good girl."

And after ten minutes, a news crew had arrived as a woman stood before a camera and exclaimed, "We are now in front of the local orphanage where villains have shown up to threaten the lives of the poor children!"

Meloetta was confused by all of this as Lilligant explained, "That thing they're pointing at us is a video camera. That's what they use to record those barbaric fights so people all over the world can watch them on TV as if it's meant to be entertainment."

"How awful," Meloetta uttered as Lilligant nodded and grunted, "And to think, they call us villains," the children squirming to free themselves from their arms.

At this moment, Machop and her friends were watching this on the news, Machop gritting her teeth and cursing, "Dammit! First one of those monsters tries to harm my new friend and now they're threatening orphans!" Lairon nodding and sighing, "Yeah, they'll do whatever they can to get what they want."

Torchic gritted her teeth and growled, "Dammit! I knew the peace couldn't last!" as Venipede and Mantima saw this on their own televisions, the mantis frowning while the centipede tried to ignore his fear.

Tentacruel gaze at the camera and stated, "Let this be a warning! We will release these kids but only if those assigned to protect Tokyo challenge us!" Meloetta gasping and turning toward her as Lilligant added, "That's right. And if we manage to defeat all four, you must give control of Tokyo over to us."

"I thought-" Meloetta uttered as Tentacruel sighed, "They would have been sent to attack us anyway. If we take care of them, then nothing will be able to stop us from creating our world free from prejudice. You said you were willing to fight them if it meant freedom, yes?"

The green-haired girl nodded and replied, "Yes, I did. You're right. Sorry about that."

Machop rose from her seat and said, "I'm going," Lairon nodding and adding, "I'll go with you. You may still need my guidance."

Garchomp nodded as Eri whimpered, Machop stroking the side of her head and saying, "It's okay. I'm just gonna protect Tokyo again, alright?" the dog licking her chin as she grinned and ruffled the fur atop her head.

All the while, Isamu and Eiko saw this along with their mother, the boy taking a deep breath and saying, "I'm not worried. I just know Machop and the others can handle this," Eiko nodding with a big smile.

And soon enough, all of the heroes were headed toward the orphanage as Tentacruel and the others stood idly by, still holding their hostages. Meloetta felt so uncomfortable holding a squirming baby, but to the best of her knowledge, this was right. At the very least, she was going to help her new friends succeed no matter what.

And luckily, the heroes managed to arrive a lot sooner than anticipated as Garchomp agreed to drive them there in her car. Needless to say, Torchic and Venipede felt honoured to get a ride from the famous dragon while Mantima tried not to think too much of this. All that mattered to her was seeing if her new training had prepared her for the challenges on Earth.

And once the group exited the vehicle, Tentacruel smirked and thought, 'Perfect,' as Meloetta bit her lower lip and thought, 'Don't worry, I'll free you. I know you're only doing this so you can stay alive. I can't blame you. If you let the government kill you, it'll only make things worse.'

"Are you ready for this?" Sneasel asked as the green-haired girl nodded and replied, "Yes. If I ever have to fight one of these four, I won't hold back."

"Alright, we came as you requested!" Machop snapped, "Now let the kids go!" Tentacruel nodding and saying, "Well, you heard the girl," all four villains dropping their hostages and allowing them to flee while Meloetta set hers down gently, whispering, "Sorry, but I'm doing this for a good cause."

The child did not understand as he instinctively ran back into the orphanage for comfort, Torchic saying, "Well, at least they kept their end of the bargain," as Lairon stepped forward and asked, "So let me guess, you're gonna fight all four of these heroes and if you win, we have to hand over Tokyo, right?"

"But of course," Tentacruel replied with a shrug, "However, we will not fight in the local arena."

'So this happens a lot,' Meloetta thought, 'The fact that no one's succeeded yet tells me they're not going to hold back against their kin. The government's control over them is even worse than I thought.'

The heroes, however, were interested in what Tentacruel had said as the jellyfish had Lilligant present a map, the flower girl opening it up as the camera zoomed in on it. Tentacruel then proceeded to explain, "On this map are the locations we wish to fight in. In each area is a ring that we have set up ourselves. And seeing as you humans love to watch these fights live, we have also added bleachers so you may watch your precious heroes fall," the jellyfish making air quotes when saying 'heroes'.

"You won't kill them, right?" Meloetta whimpered as Tentacruel whispered, "Only if we have to. Hopefully we won't need to resort to that."

"So wait, are all the matches taking place at once?" Mantima asked as Tentacruel nodded and replied, "Of course. We have even chosen which among you each of us would like to fight."

"Are you telling me we get no say!?" Machop retorted as Lairon rested a hand on her shoulder, sighing, "It doesn't matter which one you get. You need to be ready for any of these villains."

Meloetta found it strange that one of the girls cared so deeply about the fact that Tentacruel was making this choice, but she figured it did not matter. Though seeing Lairon talking to the girl in a tone too quiet for the villains to hear made her curious.

"First up is Gigalith," Tentacruel stated, pointing at the golem who nodded and pointed at Torchic, the chicken blinking as her eyes widened.

However, her shock turned to confidence as she smirked and said, "Piece of cake," as Meloetta thought, 'That must be an act.'

"Sneasel, who was it you wished to face again?" Tentacruel asked as the cat smirked and said, "I wanna face the mantis. She intrigues me," Mantima narrowing her eyelids. At the very least, Sneasel looked physically weaker than the others, so perhaps the mantis' lack of muscle would not hinder her too much.

"Next to choose is Lilligant," Tentacruel stated as the flower girl nodded and stated, "I challenge Machop," the others going wide-eyed and staring at her, Meloetta asking, "Why is that so important?"

"What are you doing?" Tentacruel grumbled as Machop smirked and sent her fist into her palm with confidence, Lilligant sighing, "I'm sorry, Tentacruel. I know you wanted to fight Machop, but I've actually wanted to face her ever since I heard of her fight with Gyarados. And with her lineage-"

"Say no more," Tentacruel replied while holding up a tentacle, "I understand," before turning back toward the heroes and saying, "I guess that leaves me with the centipede. What's your name again?"

"Venipede!" the centipede replied with a hint of fear in his voice as Mantima rested a hand on his shoulder. Thus he took a deep breath and nodded, replacing his terror with a look of confidence.

The rest were even more confident right now as Machop had a feeling she could handle this. After her fights with Gyarados and Crawdaunt, her self-esteem had risen immensely. Thus she saw this group as nothing more than another threat to take care of.

Tentacruel then pointed to the various locations on a map, pointing to an image of mountains and saying, "Here is where Gigalith and his opponent will fight," Torchic remarking, "The name's Torchic," before frowning.

"Right," the jellyfish replied before pointing at an area downtown where construction just happened to be taking place and adding, "Sneasel will face her opponent here," the cat folding her arms and grinning as Mantima narrowed her eyelids.

Tentacruel then directed everyone's attention to a pond in a local park and stated, "I will fight Venipede here," the centipede taking a deep breath as the jellyfish pointing at an image of a local park and added, "And Lilligant will face Machop in this spot right here."

Meloetta breathed a sigh of relief, glad that she did not have to fight as she had full confidence in her allies. But even so, she had to remember to be prepared if even one of them failed.

However, something came to mind as she asked, "Wait, what about those two?" pointing at Lairon and Garchomp as Tentacruel whispered, "The government only depends on teens and young adults to fight their battles for them. Those two are middle-aged, so they're no longer deemed good enough and are now forced to serve as emotional support," as Meloetta frowned.

On one hand, she was glad that Lairon and Garchomp were no longer forced to fight, but the fact that they still had to assist in this mindless struggle was enough to make her feel sick. Now she truly felt like she had made the right choice.

"Well, we've heard all we needed to know," Garchomp said with a shrug, "Come on, I'll take you all to your locations in no time flat," only for Tentacruel to shake her head and reply, "Oh no, it is much too late for this. We will have these fights take place tomorrow at ten."

Meloetta blinked as Tentacruel whispered, "We're a lot more tired than you might think. We'll need some much-needed rest," the green-haired girl nodding as Machop sighed, "Well, I did finish a match earlier today. Alright, you got yourselves a deal."

Lairon nodded and said, "Smart thinking," patting her on the shoulder as she gave him a bright grin, Torchic sitting down while cracking her talons like knuckles while Venipede breathed a sigh of relief. At the very least, this would give him more time to ready himself.

And with all said and done, the heroes were ready to return home as they entered the vehicle, Meloetta taking a deep breath and thinking, 'Don't worry. You won't be forced to do this much longer. I promise that I'll be the one to free your from your chains.'

However, she was rather surprised by how much Sneasel and Lilligant were looking forward to their matches. After all, this was something they had to do, not something they wanted. At least that was what Tentacruel had told her, and the jellyfish truly seemed sincere.

While riding back, Machop asked, "Hey, Lairon, will you be available tomorrow?" the dinosaur sighing, "I'll try to book some time off, maybe switch shifts with someone else, but I can't make any guarantees. If I can't, just try to remember what I've taught you so far and I'm sure you'll be okay."

Machop nodded with a light smile and replied, "Thanks," as Garchomp grinned and said, "I'm sure you'll do a great job."

"Yeah," Torchic replied with a grin, "We're all gonna beat our opponents tomorrow, no doubt about that," Venipede and Mantima smiling at one-another and nodding.

And soon enough, Machop's friends had been dropped off before Garchomp drove back to her and Lairon's house, Machop exiting the car and saying, "I think I'll get in an early bed tonight. I'll need all the strength I can get."

"Good call," Lairon replied as Machop entered the house and headed to her room.

But upon entering, she remembered one last thing as she pulled out her cellphone, looking through her contacts. She then noticed a number she had just recently added, that being Eiko's cell number as she pressed the icon for it, holding the phone up to the side of her head.

Eiko soon answered and squealed, "Oh my god, I can't believe Machop is calling me!" as the girl could hear Isamu's voice shouting, "Can you not be so loud!? I'm trying to finish my homework!"

Machop chuckled as Eiko asked, "So, what's up?" the girl replying, "Have you seen the news recently?"

"Oh, I know what you're talking about," Eiko replied, "Don't worry, I know you can win your match tomorrow," Machop nodding and replying, "I'm sure I can. I was just wondering if you and your brother were gonna be there."

"Luckily, it is Saturday, so of course," Eiko replied, "I know Isamu will be there too. He claims to have been doing homework in his room all day, but like me, he has nothing for the weekend. He's actually been binge-watching old fight footage, but don't tell him I said that. He doesn't know I caught him in the act."

Machop chuckled and replied, "Wow, I knew I made him rethink his views on our matches, but I didn't think I'd turn him into a fanboy in just one day," before sighing, "But seriously, I really hope to see you there. I'll need all the emotional support, especially since the others won't be in the bleachers to cheer me on."

"You can count on us," Eiko replied, "And hey, you'll also get to meet Mom and Dad. They're gonna take us," Machop replying, "Sweet. I can't wait."

With that, the two chatted for a few more minutes before saying goodbye and hanging up. But as positive as Machop had been during the conversation, a part of her really hoped that she would not let Eiko and Isamu, let alone the rest of Tokyo down. After all, the number of villains appearing at a time up to this point had been small. This time, they were dealing with five, so not even one of them could afford failure.


	14. Chapter 14

The following morning, Machop and her friends had woken up extra early to ready themselves for their matches. Needless to say, today would not be an easy one, but there was no way they would lose. Machop and Torchic had both come very far while Venipede and Mantima had worked hard to overcome their biggest weaknesses. They were ready for this.

All the while, the villains had all prepared themselves for the day and were waiting in their respective rings for ten o'clock to roll around. They had all been looking forward to facing their respective heroes, though a part of Tentacruel could not help but wish for Machop to defeat Lilligant. After all, she wanted to fight her just as much as the flower girl did.

Since Meloetta did not have an opponent, she was told to sit back and watch Tentacruel's match. After all, the jellyfish wanted to make sure she would not switch sides.

Big televisions had been set up to show footage from the other matches. That way, if one match ended sooner than the others, the audience would have something to watch.

Seeing this made Meloetta mad. While in theory, it sounded fair, to her, all this did was further emphasize how much people treated these fights like sporting events. It was like they did not take it seriously in the slightest.

Even so, while she had not yet seen her companions in combat, she had full confidence that they could win their matches. There was just no way their opponents could be that much of a threat, right?

Just like they had promised, Isamu and Eiko had arrived at the park for Machop's match along with their parents. Their mother, Hana, was a slender woman with long brown hair while their father, Noboru, was a slightly muscular man with messy pink hair.

"I have to admit, son," Noboru said with a big smile, "I never thought you would take interest in this sort of thing," Isamu nodding and replying, "Yeah. I never knew what I was missing."

"Still, why specifically did you choose this match to watch?" Hana asked as Eiko grinned and said menacingly, "I know why. It's cause he only cares about Machop's match," the boy retorting, "DO NOT!" his cheeks flushed pink as he folded his arms, his family laughing in response.

He then took a deep breath and thought, 'Come on, Machop, show me more miracles today. I know you can do it.'

Lilligant was standing nearby as she thought, 'I know Tentacruel would love to face you, Machop, but unfortunately for her, I'm gonna be the one to end you today. Voltorb may have done an okay job, but his victory was nowhere near as impressive as mine will be.'

Gigalith waited by a mountainous region with his arms folded. Though while he looked confident, a part of him was nervous about fighting Torchic. But why? Surely she could not have been strong enough to deal massive damage to a being made of stone, right?

Sneasel was beyond excited as she grinned and scratched her claws up against a girder in order to sharpen them. After seeing Mantima's match with Voltorb online, she just knew this was the opponent for her.

Tentacruel, all the while, folded her tentacles and thought, 'This Venipede better be worth my time. The only thing I know about him is that he apparently lost to Gyarados. I don't know how close he came or anything like that because no one caught that on film.'

Even so, she would have to see this as just a new challenge, an opponent she knew nothing about. When she became a villain, she knew she would have to face adversaries like this, so she would view this as a chance to really show her skills.

Meloetta noticed many people arrive to watch the event as she frowned, thinking, 'It's like they don't even know they're going to lose their power over us today,' before giving Tentacruel a light smile and saying, "Do your best."

The jellyfish gave her a light nod and a smile as she looked at a nearby clock, thinking, 'Just one more hour. It's good to know these kind people are just as excited to see their heroes lose as I am.'

And sure enough, the heroes were on their way right now. Machop was being driven by Garchomp with Lairon unfortunately being too busy to give her advice during the match. But as much as Garchomp wished his boss could be more lenient, Machop was fine with this.

It was just as Lairon said. As long as she remembered her lessons, she would be fine.

Torchic used her incredible speed to sprint all the way to the mountainous region. She saw this as a good way to exercise her feet before the match, and she knew she would need as much strength in that area as possible to defeat someone made of stone.

Venipede had taken the bus to the pond he would fight at. After all, he felt that he would need all of his energy for this.

Mantima had booked a cab so she would be there as soon as possible. It was not so much that she wanted to preserve energy as much as she wanted to be there early. She would get all the training she needed after arriving at the construction site.

Of course, with only two announcers, it would be rather difficult for all four matches to have someone narrate the events to the audience. As such, Nori and Yuki had decided to draw straws to decide which match they would commentate. Nori ended up with Mantima's match while Yuki got Machop's, the older woman feeling a tad envious.

But even so, they could not back out of their selected matches as Yuki sat behind a desk in the park while Nori sat behind one at the construction site. She personally would have chosen the mountainous region over this as at least that would be a more pleasant place to be in, but she had a job to do and she was not yet ready for retirement.

And sure enough, the heroes arrived. Machop made it fifty minutes ahead of schedule, Garchomp purposely choosing such an early time. As it so happened, Lairon had mapped out an entire entrance for his wife to set up, Machop really wishing he had not.

Mantima arrived with forty-five minutes to spare, and this suited her just fine. It gave her more than enough time to practice her skills, and she would use this opportunity to build her muscles.

Venipede, having taken a mode of transportation with a schedule, arrived thirty minutes early, much later than the other two. But he was fine with this. If anything, a longer wait would only increase the odds of him getting cold feet and that was the last thing he wanted.

And since Torchic had to travel the longest distance and had chosen the slowest mode of transportation, she arrived with only fifteen minutes to spare. This hardly mattered as she saw her run as perfect training for this match, Gigalith turning to face her as she gave him a cold stare.

The time seemed to pass by quickly with each hero preparing in his or her own way. Though the villains refused to relax during this time either. They had heard stories of villains so full of themselves, they refused to train before a match and more often than not, this ended in failure. Tentacruel, at the very least, was much smarter than that, not to mention she knew Meloetta would likely view her as a bad influence if she did not at least try to ready herself.

And once ten o'clock finally rolled around, the construction site was full of excitement as Nori exclaimed, "Alright, everyone, it's finally time for the main event! Will Mantima surprise us again or will this be her first official loss on Earth? We'll just have to wait and find out!"

Meloetta noticed this on the TV and read the subtitles, scowling. It really did seem like the humans did not care at all about the lives of these creatures who were fighting for them.

Yuki, meanwhile, looked over the crowd in the park and exclaimed, "Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, it's finally time for Machop's forth match on Earth! Will she continue to impress us like when she fought Gyarados or will today mark her second loss!?"

"Second loss?" Isamu uttered as Eiko replied, "I thought you watched all of her matches. You know she lost her first match, right?" the boy genuinely surprised as he uttered, "I must not have found that one."

After having seen her fight with Crawdaunt, this certainly surprised him. As it just so happened, he had only watched the matches involving heroes winning. Now that he knew failure was possible, all he could do was hope that Machop could win this match.

All the while, Venipede and Tentacruel were already in the ring as there was no one there to announce either one's presence. The centipede glared at the jellyfish and thought, 'I'm not gonna be afraid this time. My fear and paranoia got the best of me when I fought Gyarados. Never again!'

It was a similar deal with Torchic and Gigalith as the two seemed more than ready to go, Torchic especially. For whatever reason, she was feeling really confident about this, more so than ever before.

Meanwhile, at the construction site, Nori pointed at the Western side and exclaimed, "In the red corner, representing the villains is a ferocious feline with mustelidae DNA! With her razor sharp claws, she is certain to be a major threat! Introducing Sneasel!"

The cat got down on all fours and sprinted toward the ring. Once close enough, she dug her claws into the ground and used them to propel herself into the air, performing a vertical flip onto the ring. And like felines were known for, she landed perfectly on her feet as she spread her arms out, waving to the boos and hisses of the crowd.

Meloetta watched this on the screen and frowned, thinking, 'Soon they'll be cheering for her and everyone else. They'll see just how wrong they were.'

"And in the blue corner," Nori exclaimed, "we got us a surprising fighter who didn't show much promise at first but proved herself capable of so much more! While she's unable to jump as high as most heroes and doesn't quite have the physical strength that her friends possess, she makes up for it with incredible speed and resistance! It is my pleasure to welcome Mantima!"

The crowd went wild as the mantis performed a somersault toward the ring. She then leapt high into the air and landed on one hand, holding the other out while the cheers got louder. As serious as she was about this match, her older mother had always told her to open up with a spectacle. It often helped to relieve stress.

Sneasel grinned and said, "Not bad," as Mantima took a deep breath and thought, 'At least this one worked,' her eyes widening as her mind added, 'That's right, I actually jumped over the rope this time! I'm starting to jump higher! This is great!'

All the while, the crowd was pumped up in the park as Yuki exclaimed, "In the red corner, a lovely flower who is probably not as delicate as she seems! No one knows what to expect, but I'm sure her opponent will need to watch out for Lilligant!"

The crowd was about to give her the same reaction the other audience members gave Sneasel, but it was hard to bring themselves to boo the flower girl as she slowly and elegantly made her way toward the ring. She swayed her hips back and forth with one hand on the side of her head and another on her waist. At the very least, this was certainly unexpected for a fight entrance.

She then winked to the crowd as some of the boys had trouble looking away, the flower then climbing into the ring and resting against the turnbuckle. To end her entrance, she humped her arms over the ropes and pointed her chin up with her eyes closed.

"Well, that was quite the spectacle," Yuki uttered before clearing her throat and exclaiming, "Anyway, in the blue corner comes the hero who saved us from Gyarados and was recently caught beating the daylights out of Crawdaunt by our trusty news crew! While her career had a rough start, it seems to have picked up, and therefor it is my pleasure to announce the presence of Machop!"

With that, her eyes sparkled as she thought, 'I sounded just like a professional!' Isamu and Eiko both cheering louder than the rest of the crowd.

However, all but Eiko's cheers came to a halt when Machop entered with hedge clippers strapped to her back and an angry look in her eyes. She also had a Mohawk wig and tribal markings on the sides of her face.

As she entered the ring, she pulled out her trimmers and clamped them twice, saying, "This is gonna be you," in the most threatening voice she could muster.

While one would have expected a living plant to be intimidated by this, Lilligant held her arm up to her mouth and stifled a laugh, asking, "I'm sorry, was that supposed to be scary? Because you look like you're trying too hard!"

Machop's eyes and mouth widened as the rest of the crowd laughed save for Eiko and Isamu. The boy face-palmed while the pink-haired girl folded her arms with a sour look in her eyes, grumbling, "Well, I think she looks awesome."

Isamu simply shook his head and groaned, "Oh god, don't encourage that! She looks ridiculous!"

Machop gritted her teeth and pried her wig and sheath off, tossing them out of the ring and using her spit to wipe the markings off. She then took a deep breath and sighed, "Fine, whatever! All that matters is that I'm gonna wipe the floor with your smug face!" Lilligant nodding and saying, "Right. I just about forgot we had a match right now."

Meloetta stared at this and thought, 'Maybe she did this on purpose to relieve Lilligant of any tension. And because it looked like she was trying to intimidate her, the government can't view this as a form of treason. It's good to know one of them is trying to make things easier,' a light smile on her face.

However, with Tentacruel's match just about to begin, she shifted her attention back to the ring. Right now, she wanted to make sure the jellyfish defeated her opponent.

And with that, neither hesitated any longer as Tentacruel raced toward Venipede, the centipede preparing himself. The jellyfish folded all of her arms and was prepared to send them into his face when he saw this coming and leapt high above her head.

Tentacruel's eyes widened as the centipede sent a kick into her skull. The crowd cheered as he landed behind her, binding her in place and leaping backward, planting her head into the mat as her eyes widened with shock.

Meloetta watched in horror, looking around at the cheering crowd and gritting her teeth, thinking, 'This is horrible! I can only imagine how much it pained that poor centipede to do that!'

However, the green-haired girl could not have been more wrong as Venipede released his hold on Tentacruel, allowing her to collapse. He had a serious look in his eyes as he thought, 'Yeah, today, I become a true winner! Sorry, Tentacruel, but you're not taking control of Tokyo!'

All the while, Torchic raced toward Gigalith as the golem rose his arm and sent his right fist toward her. The chicken smirked and leapt into the air, throwing her legs forward and latching them onto the golem's arm. His eyes widened as she proceeded to lean her head forward, biting his finger and pulling back thus causing the arm even more pain.

The crowd went wild as Gigalith winced in response to this, Torchic thinking, 'My mother's first opponent on Earth was a giant snake made of rocks named Onix. Despite the odds constantly stacked against her, she still won! You're a lot smaller than Onix, so I'm certain I can beat you!'

However, her tune would soon change when Gigalith spread out his right leg, Torchic too caught up in the moment to notice. And soon enough, the crowd gasped when Gigalith lowered his arm, ramming her back into his knee as she released her hold, crying out in pain. She then rolled off of his knee and fell on her belly, the golem lifting up his foot and planting it into her back, shifting it back and forth like he was squishing a fly.

Torchic cried even louder as Meloetta watched this, thinking, 'I'm sure deep down, she's happy to be losing. It's a shame we have to do this, but it's necessary.'

During this time, Mantima and Sneasel's match started up as the cat wasted no time racing toward the mantis. Her eyes widened as the cat shifted back and forth during her run, moving so quickly that it looked like she was teleporting. And once she was close enough, she proceeded to latch onto the mantis' shoulders, leaping backward and planting the back of her head into the turnbuckle.

The crowd winced as Nori stated, "And in no time at all, Sneasel catches Mantima off-guard and sets her up for a powerful suplex!" and it did not end there as the cat leaned forward, planting her claws against the mat before propelling herself into the air just like she had leapt off the ground earlier.

The only difference was that this time, she had more than just an entrance in mind as she planted both of her feet into Mantima's face, the mantis gritting her teeth and thinking, 'No!'

And with that, she lifted her arms up and took hold of Sneasel's ankles, the cat's eyes and mouth wide open as Mantima lifted her up briefly. She then swung her arms downward, slamming the cat's back into the canvas. The mantis then took many deep breaths, thinking, 'Today, I will finally earn a victory on Earth! When I beat Voltorb, that was a fluke! Not this time!'

All the while, Machop and Lilligant stared each other down as Yuki said, "Well, the combatants are set! Let's begin!" ringing the bell as Machop held up a defensive stance, waiting for her opponent to make the first move just like she knew Lairon would want.

Unfortunately, Lilligant saw right through this as she smirked and thought, 'Oh, like I'm gonna fall for such an amateurish move. My patience in battle outweighs that of most heroes. But if there's one thing I know about your family, it's that they lack patience. Let's see you try to resist getting in the first move without your beloved trainer telling you otherwise.'

The flower girl then gave Machop a sweet smile and said, "I am a woman of honour, therefor I will give you the first hit," winking at the girl as she shuddered and remarked, "What are you playing at?"

"Nothing," Lilligant replied as she placed her arms up against her sides, "See? I will let you hit me first and I won't even bother trying to fight back," Yuki unsure how to react to this as Isamu growled, "Don't take her offer."

However, Eiko did not seem to detect anything wrong as she squealed, "Come on, Machop, she's giving you a perfect opportunity! Take it!" Isamu retorting, "NO, DON'T!" Noboru and Hana not sure who to side with or whether or not they should take sides.

Unfortunately, Machop saw a great deal of sincerity in Lilligant's eyes as she smirked and said, "Oh well, if you go down in one hit, it's totally your fault!" as she raced forward, Garchomp's eyes widening as she spat, "WAIT, THE BOY IS RIGHT!"

Unfortunately, it was too late as when Machop was close enough, Lilligant stood on the tips of her toes and twirled gracefully to the side. Machop's eyes widened as the flower girl held her arms out, continuing to twirl as Machop took a slap to her cheek.

More followed quickly enough as while the first slap showed little effect, the fifth one started to reveal results as her cheek had already turned red, Isamu barking, "HEY, STOP LETTING HER HIT YOU!"

Machop gritted her teeth and took hold of Lilligant's wrist only for her to continue twirling, the crowd gasping as she managed to overpower the girl. No one could believe this was even possible as Lilligant released her hold, sending Machop flying face-first into the turnbuckle.

"Well, it would seem Lilligant is a lot tougher than she looks," Yuki stated, "Not only were those slaps of hers very effective, but she has even managed to overpower Machop's grip and send her flying. Not sure how she pulled that off, but one thing's for certain. We can't take her lightly."

Machop's eyes swirled as Eiko uttered, "How did she pull that off? She really doesn't look that strong," Noboru nodding and replying, "It was because of her momentum."

Eiko and Hana stared at the man as Isamu explained, "I could see that. Because she was already twirling at an incredible speed, Machop was unable to stop her from moving. Thus she was unable to prevent herself from being picked up and thrown like that," Noboru nodding and saying, "That's my boy."

Garchomp stared at the male humans in admiration and thought, 'Wow, they could see Lilligant's counter coming a mile away. From what Machop told me, the boy wasn't interested in fights before, so I wonder how he knew that would happen.'

Whatever the case, Machop would certainly need to think as she rubbed her face, growling, "You'll pay for that!" Lilligant laughing and exclaiming, "Oh my god, this is just precious!"

Unfortunately, Meloetta was now completely focused on Tentacruel's match and thus did not see how angry Machop was to have taken in that blow to the head. And it seemed Tentacruel might just get the upper hand after all as she had her top eight tentacles locked against Venipede's arms, using all her might to force him back.

But just as it seemed like she would overpower him, Venipede implied a smirk with his eyes and thought, 'Unfortunately for you, I know how to get out of this,' before allowing the jellyfish to force him onto his back. He then planted his feet into her gut and flipped backward, forcing her off of him and onto her belly.

The crowd went wild as Venipede's eyes sparkled, the centipede unable to believe he had just pulled that off. However, he then realized he could not give his opponent the time to recover and thus jumped onto her back, latching his arms and legs around her, pulling on her chin while shouting, "CENTIPEDE BACKBREAKER!"

Meloetta's eyes widened as she thought, 'Oh no, Tentacruel hasn't hit him once. He's been trained too well, and he has to pretend that he's enjoying it too. This is just awful.'

"Today, everyone's gonna see a new Venipede," the centipede growled as Tentacruel chuckled and replied, "So this is the infamous Centipede Backbreaker your mother was known for. I have to admit, it's effective, but not against someone like me."

Venipede's eyes widened as the jellyfish shifted her tentacles, binding them to his arms. It was at this moment he suddenly realized he had not managed to bind them, and since Tentacruel still had six free tentacles to use as legs, she used them to lift herself up. The crowd gasped as the jellyfish proceeded to pry the centipede's arms off of her, keeping his legs attached so she could lean backward and plant his back into the mat.

Meloetta's eyes lit up as Venipede grunted in pain. But it would not end there as Tentacruel leapt over him, sending an onslaught of rapid kicks into his gut while shouting, "JELLYFISH BOMBARDMENT!"

The centipede took in a few hits before folding his arms in an attempt to block her tentacles. However, Tentacruel saw this coming as she wrapped her legs around six of his arms, leaning backward and placing her arm tentacles against the mat. She then pushed herself up, lifting Venipede with her and leaned backward, planting his skull into the canvas with a frankensteiner, the crowd in deep panic now.

Despite his hard exoskeleton, this hit had still drawn a bit of green blood from Venipede's head as he rolled away from the jellyfish. His eyes were wide with shock as he breathed heavily, thinking, 'Okay, I need to be more careful! Why didn't I see that coming!?'

Meloetta, all the while, figured he was only pretending to look scared. Deep down, she still believed that he and all of his friends secretly wanted to be defeated, and if Venipede did not think of something else soon, that might very well happen.


	15. Chapter 15

Note: Something worth note is that most of the time when I switch between matches, I'm essentially turning back time to show what was happening during the previously mentioned match. That's why sometimes, nothing seems to progress at all in other areas while the other matches take place. I did pretty much the same in the Reverse World arc in the first story. Just thought I'd clear that up.

While Venipede was currently struggling against Tentacruel, Mantima seemed to have gotten the upper hand as she sent a flying roundhouse into the side of Sneasel's head. The crowd went wild as even she could not believe she had just pulled that off. But of course her onslaught would not end there as she held up her arm, taking a deep breath while Sneasel tried desperately to recover.

'It seems my strength building has worked,' she thought, 'I know I can't make this move nearly as strong as when you use it, Mother, but I'm sure I can still show results.'

With that in mind, she raced toward Sneasel with her arm folded inward. And once close enough, she threw it outward, sending a hard karate chop into the cat's midsection. The crowd was truly shocked as not only was Sneasel unable to respond, but this karate chop had enough force to send her flying into the air as she fell hard on her back.

"And you saw it yourself, folks!" Nori exclaimed, "Mantima has just used a karate chop so strong, it could potentially crack stone! Although that form is certainly familiar," the crowd not really seeing what Nori meant by the last statement but still cheering all the same.

'I hope you saw that, Mother,' Mantima thought with a light smile, 'If I knew it would be this powerful, I would have named it after your version. I think I'll do that from now on.'

However, it seemed as if Sneasel was far from done as she slowly pushed herself back up, gritting her teeth and hissing, "I was having fun at first, but now I can see you're a bigger pain in the ass than anticipated. I guess I have no reason not to use these now," the cat holding up her claws menacingly as Mantima narrowed her eyelids, thinking, 'Bring it on,' her self-esteem now at an all-time high.

All the while, Torchic was still on the receiving end of Gigalith's foot as the crowd stared in horror. However, there was no way the chicken would lose. She fully intended on winning this and doing Tokyo and her mother proud.

With that in mind, she threw her legs upward and latched her talons onto the golem's ankle. He was truly astounded when she managed to apply more than enough strength to lift him up, causing him to fall on his back. Thus she was finally able to rise as she leapt high above him, her talons catching flame.

"BLAZE KICK ANVIL!" the chicken exclaimed as she landed hard against Gigalith's chest, his eyes wide with shock as she leapt off of him and kept her distance. She would not allow herself to fall victim to another counterattack.

And while all of these matches took place, Machop was ready to make up for the damage Lilligant had just dealt. With that, she sprinted toward her as Isamu really hoped this was not too rash.

Lilligant let out a sigh and said, "So reckless," before folding her arms and readying herself for a counterattack. But just as Machop got close enough, she smirked and said, "Should have covered your head," before sending a karate chop into that very spot.

Lilligant winced but ignored the pain and threw her arms up, latching them onto the girl's wrist. She then smirked and said, "You'll need to hit me harder than that to take advantage of me," before sending a knee kick into the girl's midsection.

The crowd gasped as Lilligant proceeded to lift her foot up like a ballerina, her hands placed together over her head as she twirled. Machop was unable to respond as she received multiple kicks to her gut, Lilligant adding force to the tenth one thus sending her flying away from her.

"You may have power, but you lack grace and dignity," Lilligant said with an elegant smile, "I think I see why Gyarados fell to you. She may have been strong, but she was hard-headed and rash, just like you. That's the only reason you were able to take advantage of her."

Machop gritted her teeth as Isamu gulped and uttered, "Do you think she might be right?" Eiko retorting, "No way! Machop's amazing! She just needs an opportunity to show it!"

'You may be right, sis, but for a different reason,' Isamu thought, 'I saw the way she got the upper hand against Crawdaunt after such a horrible start. I know she has the potential to turn this match in her favour. She just needs to think straight. She had the right idea aiming for the head, but she should have gone farther than that.'

Machop seemed to think the same thing as she frowned, thinking, 'Alright, Lilligant, you've had your fun, but it's high time I turn this around,' the girl then rubbing her temple as her mind added, 'Now, what would Lairon do in this situation?'

"Oh, how cute, it's trying to think," Lilligant said tauntingly before standing up on the tip of her foot again, twirling toward the girl and adding, "Well, if you're not going to attack me, I guess I may as well whale on you some more."

But just as she got close, Machop smirked and thought, 'Big mistake,' before sending a roundhouse into her ankle. She knew grabbing it would probably not have the desired result and it seemed her theory was correct. By applying just enough pressure and force, she managed to stop the incoming leg as Lilligant's eyes widened.

With that, Machop raced behind the spellbound flower girl and took hold of her arms, crossing them and locking them in place. The crowd went wild as she then leaned backward, lifting up Lilligant and aiming her head toward the mat.

"Yeah, that's more like it!" Eiko squealed as Hana and Noboru applauded this comeback, Isamu breathing a sigh of relief and thinking, 'There's that miracle I've been waiting for.'

Unfortunately, it seemed as if the boy had not quite gotten his wish as right when Lilligant's head was about to make contact with the mat, she released a bright orange cloud from the middle of her flower. Shockingly, it was thick enough to soften the blow to her head as she smirked and said, "That was much more impressive but still nothing I can't handle."

The crowd gasped as Yuki stated, "And in a shocking turn of events, Lilligant has created a cloud with the density of a pillow to reduce the amount of damage Machop's suplex dealt!" and it would only get worse as Lilligant sent her feet into Machop's face, causing her to release her hold on the flower girl and fall on her back.

Isamu's eyes went wide with shock as he uttered, "Oh, right, this isn't like human wrestling. These people are capable of abilities like this," Hana nodding and sighing, "That's right. I don't think any of us could have seen that coming."

"What the hell was that!?" Machop snapped as she slowly rose to her feet and distanced herself, Lilligant explaining, "That was my pollen cloud. On the surface, it doesn't look like much, but it's the ultimate defensive manoeuvre against moves like the one you just used."

"Wait, I thought only male flowers produced pollen," Noboru said as Eiko asked, "Really?"

Isamu nodded and replied, "Yeah, he's right. They use it to fertilize female flowers to produce a seed," Hana shrugging and replying, "Well, Lilligant's not exactly a regular flower. Maybe she's different," the others nodding. That explanation was the only one they could think of that made sense.

Machop gritted her teeth as she could not believe this. Lilligant looked so weak and yet she was proving to be such a nuisance. Now what could the girl possibly do?

During this time, Venipede was in a state of panic. He had started the match strong and yet now it seemed as if he could not hit Tentacruel anymore. Could it be that all of his training was meaningless?

The centipede shook his head and thought, 'No, I need to do this! Tentacruel is just another opponent! She's not that scary!' and with that in mind, he proceeded to race forward with his head out only for the jellyfish to easily dodge to the right.

Luckily, Venipede had seen this coming as he sent his three right arms sideways, striking Tentacruel hard in that very spot. He then pointed his feelers forward and spat, "VENOSHOCK!" charging into the distracted jellyfish and jabbing them into her shoulders.

But while this dealt paint, they did not do anymore than that as Tentacruel frowned, wrapped her tentacles around him and asked, "Was that really your mother's legendary Venoshock?"

Venipede's eyes widened as he asked, "What?" the jellyfish nodding and explaining, "In order to prepare myself for this match, I did a little research on your mother last night. I didn't see a whole lot as I was too tired to research that much, but I saw quite a few impressive moves on her record. My two personal favourites and the ones I was most afraid to take in were Venoshock and Centipede Steamroller."

Venipede narrowed his eyelids and remarked, "So why are you acting so calm after taking in one of those?" as Tentacruel remarked, "It's because whenever your mother used this technique, her antennae would turn into hardened acid with the power to burn through an opponent's flesh! Your version just felt like a typical jab to the shoulders, not even deserving of its own special name."

"Well, yeah, I've never been able to do that," Venipede uttered as Tentacruel smirked and stroked his chin, Meloetta wondering why she was acting so malicious right now as she asked, "Let me guess, you can't even use her version of the Centipede Steamroller, can you?"

Venipede had a look of terror in his eyes as he uttered, "You're right. Whenever my mother used it, she was able to form saw blades made entirely out of energy on her shoulders. I can't do that," Tentacruel sighing, "Well, I guess that's not your fault, but it's clear to me that if your mother fought me even at her age, she would have stood much more of a chance than you did.'

Meloetta bit her lower lip before whimpering, "Tentacruel, why are you being so mean?" the jellyfish blinking and replying, "Right, sorry, I got carried away."

Venipede was rather curious about Meloetta's reaction to Tentacruel's taunting. Surely she was aware of the fact that villains often talked down to heroes.

Even so, this did not change the fact that Tentacruel still had him trapped as she took to the sky, the crowd staring in horror as she tucked her lower body in so her beak-like appendages were pressed up against his back. Two legs were bound to his chin while two more were latched onto his tail, causing his back to bend slightly as green blood trickled out.

"You're such a disappointment," Tentacruel sighed as she descended toward the mat, shouting, "TUSK BUSTER!"

And with that, Venipede's belly hit the mat hard as he let out a loud cry of pain, coughing up a bit of blood. And with that, his eyes closed as his chin fell against the canvas, the crowd staring in horror as Tentacruel lifted up a single tentacle, shouting, "As you can see, people of Tokyo, your hero has fallen!"

Meloetta breathed a sigh of relief, thinking, 'At least it's over,' though it still pained her that her allies had to resort to such extremes.

But at the same time, she could not help but wonder if Venipede wanted to lose or not after all of that. He seemed fully intent on winning that match, but there was no way. To the best of her knowledge, he was being controlled, nothing more.

Tentacruel took a deep breath as medics rushed in to carry Venipede out of the ring, the jellyfish saying, "Well, let's check out some of the other matches, shall we?" as she turned toward the TV showing Torchic's match, her eyes widening at the sight of Gigalith on his back with the chicken in high spirits.

Gigalith slowly rose to his feet and glared at the chicken as Torchic smirked and asked, "You want some more, huh? Alright, I'm game, but not that kind of game."

However, she then noticed a light blinking on the TV showing the footage from the pond. Now that the match was over, the cameramen no longer felt the need to record this and as such, all that was showing now was a replay of Venipede's loss.

'Dammit, I can't believe it,' the chicken thought only to immediately regret looking at the screen when Gigalith walked behind her and sent a punch into the back of her head.

The crowd winced at the sight of this as Torchic fell flat on her face, Gigalith placing a firm grip on her head and lifting her up. He then sent another punch into her face as blood came from her nostrils, the golem releasing his hold and allowing her to fall on her back.

"Torchic, get up!" one member of the crowd exclaimed as the chicken struggled to rise only for Gigalith to walk over to her, lifting up his foot and sending it hard into her gut. This caused the chicken to cough up blood as she gritted her teeth, thinking, 'No, I need to fight back! If I allow him to whale on me, Venipede's loss will be in vain!'

As such, once the foot came toward her again, she held up her talons as it ran into them instead. Thus she once again managed to force the foot away from her, though unlike last time, Gigalith was prepared and spread his other leg back far enough to prevent himself from falling.

This still provided the distraction Torchic needed as she rose back to her feet. However, just those few hits alone made her feel weak as she breathed heavily, bending down on one knee and thinking, 'How did Mom deal with this? This guy's power is insane!'

During this time, Sneasel was now racing around the ring with Mantima on high alert, her arms raised. She looked around and thought, 'Dammit, she's so hard to follow,' as after a few more seconds, the cat raced by her, Mantima stepping to the side just in time to avoid taking in a slash.

The crowd looked relieved as Nori said, "And with some quick thinking, Mantima has managed to avoid Sneasel's attack, but can she keep this up?" the cat smirking and remarking, "I doubt it. That was nothing but pure luck."

Mantima scowled and charged at Sneasel only for the cat's smirk to widen as she thought, 'You're making this too easy!' and thus she raced forward and moved to the right with her claws out, this time striking the mantis on the side.

Mantima's eyes were wide with shock as Nori said, "And it seems this was not meant to last as Mantima takes a hard scratch to her side. Though why isn't she bleeding?" everyone soon noticing what the woman meant.

That scratch should have drawn blood and yet for whatever reason, only the claw marks were there. However, Sneasel noticed something the others did not. Not only was the mantis not bleeding, but it appeared she had a layer of flesh underneath her exoskeleton, one that was looked human.

It was then that Sneasel held up the claws that had struck Mantima and noticed that her suspicions were correct. Hanging down from the tips were two strips of the mantis' exoskeleton, only the way they hung made them look more like bits of skin or even fabric.

'Of course,' Sneasel thought with a grimace, 'She shouldn't even be in this ring right now. You've done well to keep this secret, Mantima, but now the whole world will know what you've been hiding.'

Mantima noticed the cat had lost focus on the fight and leapt toward her, sending a roundhouse into the back of her head and shouting, "HEY, NEVER DROP YOUR GUARD DURING A FIGHT!" the crowd cheering as Sneasel smirked and rubbed the spot that had been hit, turning toward the mantis and saying, "And you should try a better attack when given the opportunity."

With that, she leapt backward toward the ropes and stretched them back with her feet. She then flung herself forward with her claws pointed outward and exclaimed, "FELINE FRENZY!" swinging them up and down while putting various cuts all over Mantima's face.

The mantis winced as the crowd stared in shock. Rather than actually trying to deal damage, it seemed Sneasel had more in mind as she used her claws to effectively peel off the material making up the head. And soon enough, the crowd was truly astounded as in place of the mantis head was that of a human girl. She had a very pretty face with short brown hair and lovely green eyes.

All went silent as Sneasel leapt away from her and bowed her head, saying, "I bring you Mantima's true identity," the crowd unable to look away from this. Even Nori was at a loss for words as all this time, Mantima was a human.

Meloetta immediately turned her gaze to this, Tentacruel ignoring Torchic's fight to view this as well, thinking, 'Interesting.'

'They're training humans to stand up to us now?' Meloetta thought as she trembled, 'If they gain enough power, Tentacruel's plan might not work and we'll never get the freedom we deserve.'

The human known as Mantima looked around, absolutely mortified as she breathed heavily. However, after a few second, she stopped and put on a more serious look, stating, "People, what you see here is the one who you knew as Mantima! That is not my real name!"

The crowd was truly invested in this now as she added, "My real name is Rinko, and I am the adopted daughter of Reika and Scyther!" everyone truly shocked to hear this, Nori exclaiming, "I heard that those two adopted a little girl many years ago, but I never would have guessed she was posing as an insect this whole time!"

Sneasel smirked and folded her arms, asking, "So, why did you lie to the public? Sounds pretty disgraceful to me," as Rinko took a deep breath and replied, "It's because I was afraid of what Hero Planet's government might do if they found out I was human. I have trained since I was five to carry on the Adler family legacy! I wanted to follow in Mother Scyther's footsteps! I learned the moves that I could pick up from her and trained myself to resist what most humans could not, but I just knew that if I continued to look like a human, there was no way they would allow me to fight evil! I bet all of you would much rather have me leave the ring right now, wouldn't you!?"

However, she was shocked when one member of the crowd exclaimed, "YOU ROCK, RINKO!" another adding, "You'll always be the badass Mantima who defeated Voltorb to me!" many others joining in and cheering for her as her eyes and mouth widened.

She was also shocked to hear Nori state, "As it just so happens, humans are not forbidden from fighting villains. It's just not recommended as most can't handle the kind of stuff you can. I'm sure Hero Planet's government would have been fine with a human training under them as long as you could prove your worth, which you definitely have."

Rinko was truly spellbound as Sneasel hissed, "What are you saying!? You're promoting deception! She could easily die!" Nori smirking and saying, "You know, Rinko's not exactly the first hero capable of standing up to you."

Now many members of the crowd were interested until an older member stated, "That's right, there was a Korean woman named Hyun who had the strength of a hero. She was the one who taught Ninetales how to fight," Rinko thinking, 'My opponent on Hero Planet was taught by a human?'

Needless to say, this filled her up with more confidence than ever before as a big smile formed on her face, the brunette sighing, "Well, guess there's no need for this disguise anymore," but just as she was about to take the mantis costume off, she blinked and said, "Oh yeah, I'm not wearing anything else underneath."

Sneasel frowned and thought, 'That didn't quite have the result I wanted, but I'll still beat her anyway. Even if she's strong enough to qualify as a hero, she's still human and no human can ever hope to defeat me!'

Needless to say, things were not looking good for the heroes. Machop had barely landed a hit on Lilligant while taking in significantly more damage, Torchic had succumbed to extreme pain herself, Venipede had lost and Rinko was exposed. Could the remaining heroes of Tokyo possibly win their matches when their opponents were this powerful? Did Tentacruel even need Meloetta to accomplish her goal?


	16. Chapter 16

Currently, Machop was beyond irritated. While Torchic and Rinko had trouble with their opponents, she had it the absolute worst. So far, the best she had dealt was a single karate chop and a weakened suplex. No matter how anyone tried to look at it, Lilligant had practically been in full control of this match since the beginning.

'I can't do this, can I?' the girl thought while biting her lower lip, 'I may have beaten Crawdaunt, but his fighting style wasn't anywhere near as difficult to figure out. I need Lairon's advice and he's not here.'

But just as it seemed all was lost, Garchomp heard her cellphone ring as she blinked, pulling it out and noticing the number displayed on-screen was that of her husband. Thus she hit the icon that allowed her to answer the call and held it up to the side of her head, asking, "Hey, honey. What's up?"

"I'm on break right now," Lairon stated while seated in the lounge in front of a TV, "The TV I'm watching is on the station showing Machop's fight. I was hoping she could do this by herself, but it doesn't seem like she's ready yet."

Garchomp blinked and replied, "You don't know that. She is a member of the Mach family," only for Lairon to remark, "Look at her eyes, honey. What do you see?"

The dragon squinted her eyes before getting a clear look. She now noticed exactly what her husband had, the face of defeat. As hard as it was to believe, she knew that look more than anyone.

It was after she graduated from Hero School. Not even a day after she arrived on Earth, she had already been challenged by a blue bat named Golbat.

Logically, Garchomp should have been more than capable of winning this match. She had the strength and the skills. It also helped that she had size on her side. And yet despite this, Golbat proved to be a huge pain.

As the dragon had not yet revealed her ability to fly to the world, she had trouble standing up to the bat. She landed a few hits here and there, but for the most part, Golbat had the advantage. And after ten minutes, the bat managed to catch Garchomp off-guard as he planted his feet into her back, sinking his fangs into her shoulder thus using a move he called Poison Fang.

Garchomp had that exact same look that Machop showed today and ultimately gave up, knowing exactly what would happen if she allowed the bat to keep his fangs planted in her for too long. Before facing Lucario, she never lost another match since, but she still knew what it was like to feel helpless.

With that in mind, she asked, "You want me to pass on some advice, right?" Lairon nodding and replying, "Yeah, she's gonna need it."

With that, the dragon listened to him and nodded, exclaiming, "Hey, Machop!" the girl turning toward her as she added, "Don't give up hope just yet! You can still win this match!" many turning to face her as she added, "I have Lairon on the phone right now! He's got some advice for you!"

Machop's eyes sparkled as a big open-mouth smile formed, Lilligant scowling and thinking, 'Oh, I don't think so,' as she once again struck her ballerina pose and twirled toward the girl with her leg out.

Garchomp grinned and called out, "Send a roundhouse backwards right now!" Machop nodding and throwing her leg back, planting it hard into Lilligant's side before her leg could connect with hers.

Isamu smiled and said, "Now that's the Machop I saw in action yesterday," Eiko clapping and squealing, "Yeah! That's more like it!"

It did not end there as Garchomp stated, "Alright, now hit her with the strongest direct attack you can think of!" Machop grinning and saying, "I've been waiting for a chance to do this."

Lilligant's eyes were wide with shock as Machop leapt at her with her arm out, shouting, "MOON HOOK!" and sending that spot hard into her neck. As a result, the flower girl coughed up a bit of blood and fell hard on her back, the crowd going wild.

"Not completely sure what's going on," Yuki stated, "but it seems Machop has finally caught Lilligant off-guard! Not only has she landed a powerful roundhouse, but she has even connected her mother's famous Moon Hook!"

Lairon grinned while watching this and sighed, "She's good, but it's like Machoke said when he fought Bisharp all those years back. When you're stuck, the best thing you can do is get advice."

Suddenly, an intercom came on, saying, "Alright, guys, your fifteen minute break is over. Back to work," the dinosaur taking a deep breath and asking, "You think Machop will be okay on her own?"

Garchomp grinned and saw the girl's confidence build immensely as she nodded and said, "I think she'll be fine," before giving her husband a quick goodbye and hanging up.

Seeing her put the phone away, Machop could tell that Lairon was no longer able to give her advice. But even so, she felt as if even that one minute he dedicated to helping her was more than enough as now she had a clear idea of how to bypass Lilligant's tactics, or it at least seemed that way.

During this time, Torchic was trying to ignore all the pain Gigalith had already dealt. Sure, he was tough, but the chicken was strong as well. There was no way she could let him walk all over her.

With that in mind, she once again raced toward the golem. But just as he was about to strike back, she dodged to the right and sent a roundhouse into the side of his leg.

Gigalith winced as due to his legs being thin, they were his weakest parts. But even so, he did his best to tough it out as he threw his fist sideways toward the chicken. Luckily, Torchic saw this coming as she ducked under it, lighting her beak on fire and sending it into Gigalith's leg, shouting, "FIRE PECK!" the crowd going wild as the golem knelt down.

However, due to the hard blow she took to her beak earlier, this actually caused her a bit of pain as well as she winced. Gigalith noticed this as he chose to ignore the pain to his leg, lifting up his arm and lowering his hand as it crashed down onto the chicken's skull.

The crowd was once again in panic as Torchic groaned in pain, trying her hardest not to let it get to her. However, after taking in stone-powered attacks as many times as she had, it was hard for her to ignore this as Gigalith leapt into the air with his legs spread out in a splits formation. And before Torchic could even try to respond, the golem landed on top of her thus crushing her under his weight, all going silent as everyone stared in horror.

Tentacruel briefly turned to the screen to witness this, smiling wickedly and thinking, 'Looks like we got ourselves another victory,' before turning her attention back to Rinko's match. Now that the human had been exposed, the jellyfish was much more interested to see how she would do from here on in.

Rinko took a deep breath and held up a fighter stance, saying, "I have to thank you, Sneasel. You've removed a large burden from me," the cat scowling and hissing, "I don't want your thanks!"

With that, she lunged toward Rinko as the brunette took a deep breath and waited for her to get close. And at just the right open, she threw her arms out and took hold of Sneasel's wrists, her eyes wide with shock. Once again, Rinko managed to overcome her speed, but how?

Whatever the case, Rinko would not let this opportunity go as she held Sneasel up against her shoulder, leaping into the air and leaning backward while shouting, "FLYING HAMMER!" And with that, the back of the cat's neck hit the mat hard as her eyes and mouth were even wider.

However, she very quickly broke free from the girl's hold and leapt away from her, breathing heavily and thinking, 'I know she's trained for a long time, but no human should be this goddamn strong! Alright, that's enough playing around! I need to end this as quickly as possible!'

With that in mind, the cat's ear feather started to glow as she once again raced toward Rinko. The brunette felt prepared for this until Sneasel screeched to a halt and leapt over her head, landing behind her. She then sprinted toward Rinko's side while going down on all fours, shouting, "FEATHER SWORD!" sending the ear into that very spot.

Rinko's eyes were wide with shock as not only did this rip open the material in her mantis suit, but it also put a huge gash on her side. Luckily, the material used to make the costume was strong enough to prevent this from being too fatal, but at the same time, she felt unbelievably weak as she fell to her knees, her hand up against her side.

"I was right," Sneasel said with a wicked grin, "You shouldn't be in this ring right now."

Seeing as Rinko was now too weak to fight back, the cat knew it was finally time to end this. With that in mind, she leapt toward he brunette and wrapped her arms and legs around her, planting the claws on her paws into the area just below her neck while digging the claws on her feet into her lower back.

The crowd gasped as Nori exclaimed, "Rinko managed a great comeback with her mother's infamous Flying Hammer, but it seems as if she has met her match!"

Rinko tried to struggle free, but each time she shifted her body, it only caused more pain to her back. There was no doubt in her mind that she could not get out of this.

With that in mind, Sneasel smirked wickedly and leapt backwards into the air, flipping her body vertically. And after a few seconds, she slammed the back of Rinko's head hard into the canvas and exclaimed, "YARN BALL!"

All went silent through the area as Rinko coughed up blood. Her eyes then rolled to the back of her head as Sneasel removed her claws and leapt away from her, allowing her to collapse. And after a few seconds, Nori could tell she would not rise any time soon.

With that in mind, the woman rang the bell and exclaimed, "Despite all of Rinko's best efforts, the winner of this match is Sneasel!" the crowd mortified by this as Sneasel rose her arms in the air with a big grin on her face, exclaiming, "Yeah! I rule!"

And much like before, the others were now only able to see the replay of the match's results as Tentacruel grinned. Meloetta breathed a sigh of relief and said, "I'm sorry, human girl, but when we achieve equality, you'll see why your loss was necessary."

But while things were looking bad for the others, Machop's situation had at least improved as Lilligant slowly rose to her feet, rubbing her neck and grunting, "Don't act so confident. You got a couple of lucky shots in. That's it."

"If you think that's all I have in store, you got another thing coming!" Machop remarked as she leapt toward the flower girl, sending a two-legged kick into her face before she could even think of a countermeasure.

Lilligant backed up, rubbing her face and thinking, 'Dammit, everything was going so well. It may still be too early to try this, but I want to win at all cost. It's time to bring in the big guns.'

Everyone else felt confident that Machop would win this as Isamu gave her a thumb up, exclaiming, "Good job, Machop!" Eiko squealing, "You're amazing!"

However all went silent when Lilligant lifted up her arms to the right, waving them in place while thrusting her body repeatedly to the left. And it only got more confusing she she started to sway left and right, shifting each part accordingly.

"What's she doing?" Noboru uttered as Hana shrugged and replied, "Looks like she's dancing."

"Well, so far, every one of her attacks has involved her dancing," Eiko said with a shrug as Isamu narrowed his eyelids, saying, "True, but she's not even advancing toward Machop this time. What's this supposed to accomplish?"

Yuki had no comment on all of this as Machop stared awkwardly, uttering, "What is this?" when suddenly, she found herself strangely compelled to join in. The crowd was now really confused as Machop started swaying back and forth just like Lilligant.

While most of the people were confused by this, Isamu and Garchomp both caught on as they spat, "MACHOP, STOP WATCHING HER DANCE!" only for Lilligant to chuckle and reply, "Hate to burst your bubble, but it's too late. Once my opponent watches my Teeter Dance long enough, she'll fall under my spell and there's no way to escape from it."

"Oh, I get it," Yuki said with a nod of her head, "It would seem Lilligant has used a form of hypnosis on Machop."

And soon enough, the effect got even worse as Machop's eyes started to swirl, Lilligant bringing her dance to a halt. And it was just as it seemed. Despite the flower girl having ended her dance, Machop was still doing it, no longer focused on the match.

Now the crowd was truly afraid as Garchomp uttered, "This shouldn't last too long, right? Machoke was able to resist dizziness. Surely Machop can do the same," but this did not seem to be the case as Lilligant took full advantage of this, leaping toward the girl and planting a hard kick in her face.

Machop then fell on her back and groaned, rubbing her face and slowly rising to her feet. She then glared at Lilligant and spat, "Hey, that was cheap!" only for the flower girl to start up her dance again.

"HIT HER BEFORE IT TAKES EFFECT!" Eiko squeaked as Isamu spat, "Wait a minute!" but it was too late as Machop raced toward the flower girl only to stop in her tracks after two seconds.

And just like before, she could not resist dancing along with Lilligant as Isamu groaned, "Oh no, this is terrible," Machop's eyes spinning once again as the flower girl stopped her dance.

With her opponent still under her spell, Lilligant could not have been more thrilled as she propelled herself high into the air with her arms out. She then twirled toward Machop's forehead with her feet together, shouting, "BALLET STOMP!" ramming them hard into that very spot.

Machop's eyes widened as she coughed up blood, once again falling on her back. However, unlike before, she did not seem to be moving as Lilligant gave a bow, saying, "Thank you all for coming. This is truly my most grand performance yet."

The crowd stared in horror as Eiko trembled, whimpering, "She'll get up from that, right?" Noboru and Hana unsure of how to respond to this while Isamu gritted his teeth, barking, "HEY, MACHOP, ARE YOU REALLY GONNA LET YOURSELF LOSE THAT EASILY!?"

The others stared awkwardly at him as he added, "When I saw you beat Crawdaunt yesterday, you were amazing! It looked like you were gonna lose, but you pulled off a true miracle and dominated the rest of the fight! And I saw your match with Gyarados! You came very close to losing that match but still pulled through! So are you really gonna let some stupid dance routine finish you off!? Because the Machop I know wouldn't do that!"

"Stupid!?" Lilligant retorted with her hands on her hips, "How dare you!? Once my victory is made official, I'll make you pay for that comment, you prick!"

However, it seemed his speech had inspired a member of the crowd as she pumped her hand up and down, saying, "Machop. Machop," others joining in and chanting, "Machop! Machop!"

Garchomp nodded and rose to her feet, shouting, "Machop! Machop!" as Eiko, Noboru, Hana and especially Isamu joined in. Even Yuki was resisting the urge to join the audience, but her job as an announcer was to be neutral, thus she held back, hoping the chants would be enough to wake the girl up.

"How rude!" Lilligant growled with a look of irritation, "I'm the one giving the Tony-worthy performance and no one's cheering for me! Well, whatever, they're all wasting their breath anyway!"

However, it seemed as if the crowd's chanting worked as Machop slowly shifted her fingers, pressing her hands firmly against the mat and slowly pushing herself back up. Lilligant's eyes widened as she stared in shock, backing up with her arm against her chest and thinking, 'No, she can't get up! That should have been more than enough to finish her off!'

"What's wrong?" Machop asked with a grin, "You didn't honestly think that would be enough to finish me off, did you? You've clearly never faced a member of my family."

Lilligant's shock turned to absolute fury as she gritted her teeth and retorted, "Whatever! I'll just knock you out again!" before swaying her body left and right.

Unfortunately for her, Machop knew what to expect now as she closed her eyes, Isamu smiling as he thought, 'That's right. Don't watch her dance and you'll be okay.'

Before Lilligant could even respond, Machop raced toward her, knowing she had not moved from her spot yet. And once close enough, she opened her eyes and sent a hard punch into the flower girl's forehead. This caused her to back up as the crowd cheered wildly, and since the girl's eyes had not been open nearly long enough, it made sense that she did not fall victim to the Teeter Dance this time.

"After a very close call, it would seem Machop has found a way to avoid the Teeter Dance's effects," Yuki stated as Machop proceeded to send her elbow into the spellbound Lilligant.

"Yeah, that's the kind of thing I expect from you, Machop!" Isamu exclaimed while giving her a thumb up, the girl looking at him and nodding with a big smile on her face. Needless to say, she was beyond grateful for his words of encouragement earlier.

But while Machop had finally gotten the upper hand back, Torchic seemed down for the count as Gigalith continued to sit on her to make sure she would not get up. But when he was certain that she could not possibly do so, he rose to his feet and stepped to the side, the crowd now really concerned as the chicken lay there. Her legs were both separated far from each other as they appeared to be a bloody, mangled mess.

Though a part of Gigalith really hoped that did not kill her. After all, Meloetta would have likely turned against him if he had gone so far as to do that, though the look in his eyes gave off the implication that this was not the only reason. But why else would he hope for Torchic to recover?

But just as it seemed he had officially won, his wish had come true far too soon as despite all the damage dealt earlier, Torchic's body started to twitch. The crowd stared in shock as she shifted her legs up, pointing the lower halves downward so her feet were touching the canvas. And with that, she slowly but surely managed to push herself back up, breathing heavily, her eyes wide open. It was as if she was just as surprised by her recovery as the crowd was.

And needless to say, Gigalith could not believe it either as his eyes were wide with terror. And of course, Torchic would not let this opportunity go as she took a deep breath, doing her hardest to ignore the pain coursing through her veins. She only had enough energy to use one more attack, so she had to make this count.

With that in mind, she sprinted toward the ropes and leapt face-first toward them. The crowd was confused as she bit the top rope, stretching it out as her feet caught flame.

'This is a move my mother used to defeat a really powerful adversary,' the chicken thought, 'She needed assistance to pull it off, but I think with the right amount of force, I can probably use it to. This is the only move I can think of that can possibly win me this match.'

However, Gigalith was prepared for this as he knelt down, his gem horn glowing briefly. It then expanded forward, forming a blade as he charged toward the chicken.

It was at this moment that the rope retracted, Torchic launching herself off of it as the flames on her feet formed into a phoenix head. And with that, she spat, "ROARING PHOENIX!" as her heels rammed into Gigalith's horn.

The golem closed his eyes and tried to advance forward, doing his absolute best to overpower the chicken. But after a few seconds, it seemed Torchic's attack was much stronger as cracks formed in the gem, the material soon shattering as her feet hit the golem's skull hard.

With that, Gigalith moaned in pain and fell hard on his back, Torchic's flames dying out as she landed on her own back behind him. She breathed heavily and tilted her head back so she could face her opponent and make sure this really was good enough.

Tentacruel stared at this and thought, 'That can't be good enough. Gigalith is too strong for that,' Meloetta hoping for the same thing. Even Sneasel could not believe that Torchic was strong enough to knock out someone so heavy.

But seeing as the chicken was still breathing and Gigalith had not regained consciousness, it seemed that this victory really was hers as she grinned. And with that, the crowd cheered wildly as Torchic turned her gaze back to the golem.

"You know, it's a crying shame you decided to serve evil," Torchic said with a sigh, "With your power, you would make for a great hero," and while she did not actually realize this herself, Gigalith had heard every word.

At that moment, memories regarding why he joined the side of evil returned. For whatever reason, Gigalith's development was slow. Because of this, he never learned to talk no matter how many times his family would try. And because he was a mute, his classmates made fun of him.

One day, Tentacruel discovered him and very quickly picked up on his predicament. She figured that if his peers could not accept him, he may as well get revenge on the world that wronged him. And as a result, he went on to become Tentacruel's strongest ally.

But during all of that time, a part of him still felt that this was wrong, that his reasoning for becoming evil was petty beyond compare. And this was a part of the reason he had hoped his attack did not kill Torchic.

What if maybe he had been too rash? Perhaps people would respect him if he used his abilities to help them instead of hurt them. He would certainly need to think about Torchic's suggestion as both fighters continued to lie in the ring.

And with one victory and Machop's amazing comeback, it seemed as if the tide of the battle had shifted in the heroes' favour. But would Machop really be able to defeat Lilligant or was she only delaying the inevitable?


	17. Chapter 17

Things were finally starting to look up as while it had been a very close call, Torchic had still been victorious over Gigalith. This only left Machop's match, and with things going so well, hopefully she could make up for Rinko and Venipede's losses.

However, Lilligant had no intention of losing, not when things had started so well for her. With that in mind, the flower girl glared at Machop and growled, "I have to admit, you definitely live up to the family name. You have that annoying persistence that your father was known for and while you don't look it, you certainly possess his strength. But even so, I know for a fact that you lost once, so there's no doubt in my mind that I can still beat you!"

"Just try it," Machop retorted, "Admit it, you're out of tricks. I've now found a way around your best technique."

"Oh, did you honestly believe Teeter Dance was the best that I had to offer?" Lilligant asked with a smirk as Machop's eyes widened, Garchomp asking, "It wasn't?"

"Oh no, that doesn't sound good," Isamu growled, "I really hope she's ready for whatever Lilligant has planned."

Lilligant held up her leg and started to twirl toward Machop as the girl blinked and uttered, "You're seriously trying that again?" but just as she was about to counter, the flower girl picked up the pace and exclaimed, "QUIVER DANCE!"

Machop's eyes widened as she had no time to respond, the girl taking an onslaught of kicks to her midsection. And after a few good hits, Lilligant sent a high kick into the her chin, causing her to cough up blood as she flew back a bit.

"And now for the piece de resistance," Lilligant said before leaping at Machop and sending one last kick into her gut, the girl coughing up more blood as she flew into the turnbuckle, groaning in pain as her head lowered.

She was barely able to stay upright as she rested her arms over the ropes, breathing heavily. Yuki stared in shock and said, "It would seem that Lilligant's increase in speed has given her the upper hand back as Machop is once again a sitting duck."

Lilligant frowned and said, "Looks like that didn't finish you, but no matter. You're in no condition to fight back anyway. But on the upside, you should be proud. You brought out all of my abilities, something no opponent has ever done before."

Isamu gritted his teeth and grunted, "Come on, Machop, you can do it!" as Eiko trembled and whimpered, "Please tell me you can still win this."

Hearing Isamu's words was all Machop needed to ignore the pain dealt to her when Lilligant leapt at her with her feet pointed outward, the flower girl twirling during her descent. It was clear that she was setting up for her Ballet Stomp and there was no way Machop would allow her to land it. And it seemed she might just be able to prevent this as Lilligant's Quiver Dance had clearly taken a lot out of her, sweat pouring down the sides of her head now.

With that in mind, Machop leapt up to the flower girl's level as her eyes widened, though she was shocked when the girl flew over her. Her shock turned to horror as the exact second Machop was high enough, she latched her ankles around the flower girl's neck.

The crowd stared in shock as Machop pushed down, forcing Lilligant's entire body to flip upside-down. She then took hold of her legs and thought, 'I can't believe it! I actually pulled off another one of Mama's finishers!'

While the crowd went wild, Isamu blinked and uttered, "Is that really such a good idea?" Noboru and Hana both nodding as they remembered what happened the last time Machop tried to slam Lilligant into the canvas.

And just like before, Lilligant released a cloud of pollen from the flower atop her head, a smug grin on her face. But just as it seemed like she had prevented herself from being knocked out, she was once again terrified when her head passed straight through the cloud before it could thicken.

With that, Machop managed to slam her skull hard into the mat, shouting, "METEOR WARHEAD!" Lilligant coughing up blood as the girl released her hold, allowing her to collapse.

Everyone stared as Lilligant was out cold, Yuki ringing the bell and exclaiming, "And after a long and intense match, our winner is Machop!" the crowd going wild while Eiko hugged Isamu, squealing, "I KNEW SHE COULD DO IT!"

'Yeah,' Isamu thought with a light smile, 'Machop really is something else, isn't she?'

Tentacruel stared at this with fury as she growled, "Dammit, I could have accepted Torchic's victory if she was the only one still standing in our way," as Meloetta uttered, "Are you saying we don't stand a chance?"

The jellyfish took a deep breath and replied, "No, not at all. These two may have beaten Lilligant and Gigalith, but I'm certain Sneasel and I can finish what they started."

"And if things get really bad, I can just step in," Meloetta replied with a light smile, Tentacruel nodding and saying, "Yes, of course. Good to know you remembered."

Suddenly, Meloetta noticed something on the screen showing the footage from the park. After Machop's victory, a human girl with pink hair, namely Eiko, got up from the crowd and ran into the ring just to give the hero a hug. Meloetta's eyes widened at the sight of this as Tentacruel could see it.

"It is kind of a shame, really," the jellyfish sighed, "Some of the humans are unaware of what the government is doing and honestly believe that these so-called heroes of theirs actually enjoy what they're doing. That girl is one of those ignorant people."

Meloetta gasped and nodded, saying, "That's awful. Someone should tell her the truth," Tentacruel shrugging and sighing, "She might not believe you, but at the same time, it does show that at least some humans are opposed to stripping us of our freedom. It's just a shame they're not aware of the fact that their trusted government is doing just that."

However, just as quickly as Machop's happiness over her victory came, it turned to shock when she looked at the other screens and saw the devastating results of the other matches. While Torchic had won, she looked to be in horrible condition, and of course, seeing footage of Venipede's loss being replayed did not lift her spirits. Though she was rather curious when she saw a human head where Mantima's used to be.

Even so, this did not change the fact that she might very well end up facing the last three villains alone. With that, she tensed up and uttered, "Oh no," Isamu staring at this and growling, "Dammit, I didn't think it would be this bad."

"Well, as you all can see," Yuki stated, "the other matches have come to a close, and so far, it's a tie between the heroes and villains. While Torchic appears to have been defeated, replayed footage has confirmed that she did, in fact, defeat Gigalith. So if she manages to recover, she can still help out in this struggle for survival."

Nori had said this to the crowd at the construction site as well while those watching in other areas read the subtitles onscreen. And while that sounded promising, Machop was still unsure whether or not Torchic could recover in time.

Either way, Sneasel did not seem to mind the fact that Machop and Torchic had won as much as Tentacruel did. She had a smirk on her face as she folded her arms and said, "Bring it. That Rinko felt like nothing more than a warmup. I want a real challenge."

But just as it seemed like the matches for the day were done, Tentacruel's eyes widened when a deep female voice entered the area, shouting, "You know, five against four is a little unfair, don't you think!?"

Meloetta squeaked in panic when she noticed a white sloth bounding toward the ring, leaping up and landing firmly against the canvas. Seeing this, the cameramen wasted no time recording this as the TV screens showed this as opposed to the same replay footage of Venipede's loss.

Machop's eyes widened as she uttered, "Vigoroth?" Isamu blinking and asking, "Who's that?"

"That was the villain Torchic beat up," Eiko replied, "She's not here to help the villains, is she?"

Machop folded her arms and replied, "I seriously doubt that," a grin on her face as she added, "After the match, Vigoroth swore she would change her ways. If anything, I'm almost one-hundred percent certain she's here to help."

Those operating each TV decided to turn the volume on now that the audio could no longer distract audiences from the matches taking place in their respective areas. And thus, everyone could now hear the conversation.

And it seemed Machop's assumption was correct as Vigoroth growled, "I can't just sit back and let you take over Tokyo without at least fighting fair! Currently, you've lost two allies, but now that number's gonna go up to three!"

'Why's she doing this?' Meloetta thought with confusion, 'Doesn't she know she's only making things worse for her kind?' as Tentacruel folded her arms and sighed, "You know, I would like to see what Meloetta's skills are like, so I'll allow this," the crowd cheering as they now felt more at ease knowing they would have a fifth hero to protect them.

"Me!?" Meloetta squeaked with a look of terror, Tentacruel sighing, "You said you were ready for this if need be. Besides, I just finished a fight not too long ago. You can't expect me to fight this new opponent after taking in so many injuries, can you?"

"You're right," Meloetta replied with a serious look as Vigoroth cracked her knuckles and smirked, saying, "I don't care who I fight. I just wanna aid those who helped me see the light."

"Yeah, tell is like it is!" Machop squealed with a big grin as Isamu nodded and said, "She seems cool. Good to know you were right."

The girl turned to him and retorted, "Did you think I was wrong?" giving him a cold look as he laughed nervously.

The other audience members were certainly excited to see Vigoroth fight for the side of good as Torchic turned toward the screen while being loaded up onto a stretcher, a grin on her face. She then let out a sigh of relief and said, "Nice to have you on our side, buddy."

Sneasel was also quite interested, but not for the same reason as the crowd. She wanted to know just what kind of fighter Meloetta was. If she won this match, there would be no more doubt in the cat's mind that this green-haired girl was worth recruiting.

However, before this could begin, Machop realized something. And it seemed Garchomp was on the same wavelength as she said, "Come on, Machop. I'll take you there so you can support your friend."

"Thanks!" Machop squealed as Isamu and Eiko turned to their parents, Noboru nodding and saying, "Yeah, you can go. Be home by dinner time, eh?" both teens nodding as Eiko's eyes sparkled.

Back at the pond, Meloetta took a deep breath and asked, "Miss Vigoroth, would you like to prepare for this fight or should we start right away?" the sloth folding her arms and saying, "I'd rather start as soon as possible, thank you very much."

"Very well," Meloetta replied with a curtsy as the crowd grinned, the green-haired girl at least glad that neither would have to put on an entrance show for the humans. The last thing Meloetta wanted was to cave into their desires. If anything, she could not help but wonder why both Sneasel and Lilligant would join into such a thing themselves when their leader seemed so opposed to it.

And with that in mind, Vigoroth walked to a far side of the ring while Meloetta did the same. And with that, Tentacruel, who was by the side of the ring now, rose her tentacle in the air and exclaimed, "You may begin!"

With that, Vigoroth wasted no time bounding toward Meloetta. The green-haired girl's eyes widened as she tried to fight back only to receive an elbow to her chest. Before she could even respond, Vigoroth followed it up with an onslaught of punches to her face before reaching her arms out and piercing her shoulders with her claws.

Meloetta cried out in pain, Tentacruel frowning and thinking, 'Oh no, she held back, didn't she?' as Vigoroth lifted the green-haired girl up and shouted, "SLOTH SUPLEX!" slamming her skull hard into the canvas.

The crowd went wild as Vigoroth released her hold and smirked, folding her arms and saying, "So much for your ultimate weapon," as Tentacruel narrowed her eyelids and thought, 'Okay, maybe it's too early to assume the worst. Surely after seeing how aggressive her opponent is, she'll realize that there's no point in holding back.'

Sneasel, meanwhile, watched this in stunned silence and uttered, "Seriously? That's the one who's gonna lead us to glory?" before sighing, "You really picked yourself a winner, Tentacruel."

Vigoroth grinned and thought, 'Thank you for letting me help my friends, Dad.'

She remembered it just like it was yesterday. Shortly after her match with Torchic, she took a flight back home and apologized to her father for acting out like she had. However, Slaking did not look as angry as she felt he would. If anything, he figured that such amazing skills could benefit those being terrorized by the forces of evil.

The only catch was that she had to pretend not to be the princess of the sloth kingdom for as long as she remained a hero. After all, Slaking still would much rather not have others associate his empire with violence. And Vigoroth was perfectly fine with this.

Back in present time, Meloetta slowly rose to her feet and rubbed her head, a look of sheer terror in her eyes. She knew they could be aggressive, she knew those assisting the humans would not back down for what she believed to be a horrible reason, but she never realized it was this bad. To think one would voluntarily jump in to assist those protecting another area and even go all-out against their own kind, the kind Meloetta believed was still being oppressed and judged for being a different species, was too much to take in.

"I hope you realize just how serious this really is," Tentacruel said with a serious look on her face, "If you want to make sure our plan succeeds, you'll need to stop whatever threat gets in our way. As you can see, they're not going to hold back, so you shouldn't either."

"Yes, I get it now," Meloetta replied with a nod of her head, "That's why you and your friends were so aggressive during your fights. You had no choice."

"What the hell are you babbling about!?" Vigoroth retorted before charging toward the green-haired girl while swinging her arms around, shouting, "FURY SWIPES!"

But just as she was about to get close enough to hit Meloetta with her onslaught, the green-haired girl whipped her hair around, sending it forward as it elongated and bound itself to the sloth's arms. Her eyes were wide with shock as she could no longer move them, Meloetta sighing, "Please forgive me."

She then whipped her hair to the side, sending Vigoroth flying face-first into the turnbuckle. But before she could retaliate, Meloetta tapped her headset as an ancient musical score came from it. It was so loud that the sound waves came out of the device, flying toward the sloth.

And once close enough, Vigoroth could not only feel ringing in her ears, but these sound waves were actually hurting her. As such, she cried out in pain and held her hands up to the sides of her head, doing her best to stand her ground. And after a few seconds, the sound wore off as she took a deep breath, saying, "Interesting power, but you'll need to do better than that to best the likes of me."

Sneasel stared at this and said, "Still seems kinda lame. I mean, really, singing? Sure, Lilligant fights by dancing, but at least that involves her physically harming her opponent."

Tentacruel, however, had a feeling there was more to Meloetta as she said, "You have something better in your arsenal, right?" the green-haired girl nodding and sighing, "I was hoping to avoid using this, but if it's necessary to end all of these fights for now, I'll do it."

"AS IF I'D LET YOU!" Vigoroth retorted as she charged toward the green-haired girl once more.

But before she could get close, Meloetta took a deep breath and exclaimed, "HYPER VOICE!" letting out a loud musical sound from her mouth. The crowd stared in shock as rings burst from that very spot, hitting Vigoroth hard as she gritted her teeth, trying her best to fight it. This was rather difficult as the rings were forcing her from advancing forward while at the same time putting small cuts all over her body.

Now Sneasel was intrigued as Nori stared in utter shock, saying, "Well, folks, it would seem this Meloetta's voice is quite deadly," the crowd rather frightened by this themselves.

However, Tentacruel could see that this move would have to work when sweat poured down Meloetta's face. It seemed just using this was taking a great deal out of her, the jellyfish thinking, 'Perhaps I had her use it too soon. I hope it doesn't hinder her performance too much.'

Luckily, it seemed as if her Hyper Voice was strong enough as after a few more seconds, Vigoroth lost her balance and flew into the turnbuckle, coughing up blood as her eyes rolled to the back of her head. The crowd stared in shock as Garchomp's van arrived, Machop, Eiko and Isamu wasting no time exiting and sprinting toward the side of the ring.

Their eyes widened as they spat, "VIGOROTH!" Machop slapping her hand against the mat and barking, "Hey, what the hell is this!? You were so strong when you fought Torchic! Surely you can get up from this, right!?"

However, it seemed Vigoroth was unable to move as her tongue stuck out of the side of her mouth, Tentacruel shrugging and saying, "Sorry to burst your bubble, but she's lost this fight. She put up a valiant effort, but it was not good enough for Meloetta here."

Meloetta could see just how mortified Machop was by this, but why? Was this all an act or did she genuinely want to see the sloth win this match? That could not possibly be the case, could it?

Even so, the important thing was that the fighting could at least be put on hold for a while. And with that, Tentacruel smirked and said, "Either way, Machop, I guess I may as well congratulate you and Torchic for winning your matches. I look forward to facing one of you tomorrow."

Meloetta had a feeling she was only saying that to be polite as Machop frowned and said, "Yeah, you won't know what hit you, I can assure you of that."

Isamu took a deep breath and said, "Guess there was no reason to come after all," only for Eiko to give him an awkward look as Garchomp signalled the others to enter the van.

Machop decided she may as well carry Vigoroth into the van as well. Sure, they could have just as easily called for an ambulance, but they figured as long as they had the means, they may as well take her to the hospital themselves.

But as the group walked toward the vehicle, Machop turned and scowled at both Meloetta and Tentacruel one last time. Meloetta felt so confused by this. While she still believed this was an act, she could detect a hint of sincerity in the girl's eyes, like she really was passionate about defeating her new friends.

But Tentacruel quickly remedied that by resting a tentacle on her shoulder and saying, "Good job. It's not easy doing this. Believe you me, I'd rather have not been so rough on that darling centipede, but it had to be done."

Meloetta nodded and replied, "Right," a light smile on her face as she thought, 'Once it's all over, it'll be worth it. We'll never have to resort to such extremes again.'


	18. Chapter 18

With the matches finally at a close for the day, Machop and her friends had taken Vigoroth to the hospital. They carefully carried her in as medics immediately had her rushed to a room to rest up. But while it was nice to know the sloth was in good hands, Machop still wanted to check up on the others.

The first she went to check up on was Torchic. And since the chicken was still conscious, she smiled upon seeing her friend and said, "Hey, I saw your victory. Good job."

Machop took a deep breath and said, "I saw the replay of yours. That was a very close call, wasn't it?" Torchic nodding and saying, "I know what you're thinking, and don't worry about it. We heroes can recover faster than humans, so I should be able to fight tomorrow."

"Thank god," Machop replied with a sigh of relief, "For a second there, I thought I was gonna be alone tomorrow," as the chicken grinned and replied, "No way am I gonna let you face all three of those girls alone. They may be tough, but we're tougher."

Machop had a big grin as she replied, "Ain't that the truth?" as she gave the chicken a thumb up. She would have slugged her on the shoulder, but with Torchic in her current state, that was not a good idea.

Isamu and Eiko watched this from the entrance as Eiko sighed, "They're such good friends, aren't they?" Isamu nodding and saying, "I still can't believe that just two days ago, I was completely uninterested in people like them."

When the group moved onto Venipede and Rinko's room, Machop stared at the brunette. When she saw the ripped costume on her, she immediately put two-and-two together and said, "So Mantima was human this whole time."

"You mean it's possible for a human to be as strong as one of you?" Isamu asked as Machop nodded and replied, "Daddy told me about this human woman named Hyun who apparently trained Ninetales until she was ten. Yeah, it's definitely possible, but still practically unheard of."

"That is so cool!" Eiko exclaimed, her eyes sparkling as Isamu shot her a cold glance and retorted, "No!" the pink-haired girl pouting and looking down.

"Still, I wonder why she never told anyone," Machop replied as Isamu gave her a look of concern. However, it seemed he had no reason to worry as the girl shrugged and added, "Whatever. She probably had her own personal reasons."

With that, the group figured they may as well head off. Not only did Machop need to rest after her match, but she also needed to get some training in later for her match tomorrow. She had no idea which villain she would go up against, but she knew neither one would be easy.

And with that, she soon returned to Garchomp's van along with the others. She had a serious look in her eyes and thought, 'Don't worry, guys. Torchic and I will make sure Tokyo's safe. You can count on it.'

Seeing as it was not even one o'clock yet, Lairon had not yet returned home. But Machop was okay with this. She would rest up until he got home, after which she would spend the rest of her free time training. After all, she had come alarmingly close to failure today. There was no way she would allow that to happen again.

Seeing as she had three hours to spare, she and Garchomp both agreed that they would be okay with Eiko and Isamu spending some time at their house. However, Isamu declined the offer as he would have much rather given Machop space so she could ready herself, Eiko feeling a touch disappointed but ultimately agreeing with her brother.

And with all said and done, Machop took a deep breath and sat on the couch, Garchomp grinning and saying, "You did a very good job today. I think if Lairon saw how you got past Lilligant's pollen, he would have been very impressed."

"Yeah, but I couldn't have done that without that little bit of advice he gave me," Machop replied with a light smile, "I should totally thank him later," as Garchomp looked at the clock and said, "You know, I think he might still be on his half-hour break. Why not give him a call?"

The girl's eyes sparkled as she squealed, "I'll do that right now!" before whipping out her cellphone and dialling him up.

During this time, Venipede and Rinko had managed to regain consciousness. With the beating they had taken in, no one would have expected either one to recover this quickly, and yet through what could only be described as a miracle, they somehow managed to overpower their comas.

The two had been talking for a few minutes as Venipede asked, "So, I get why you didn't tell the authorities on Hero Planet, but why didn't you tell any of us that you were human?"

"I don't really know," Rinko replied with a sigh, "I guess in a sense, I kind of convinced myself that being Mantima and never acknowledging my true identity would make me stronger, but all it did was make me feel less confident in battle. Now that I no longer have to dawn that disguise, I feel more comfortable, like I really do have what it takes to carry on my family legacy."

"Well, you'll always be awesome in my books," Venipede replied with an implied smile as Rinko sighed, "Be honest, you're mad at me, aren't you? You're thinking of excluding me from the group."

"Why would you assume something like that?" Venipede retorted with a serious look in his eyes, "I don't care that you lied to us about your identity. You're an awesome friend and that's all that matters."

Rinko's eyes widened, her cheeks light pink as the centipede added, "Besides, I think it's awesome that you're a human. You're able to stand up to the same kinds of enemies we are. That's amazing," the brunette tensing up even more as he added, "The way you took in all those electric shocks when you faced Voltorb and continued to stand. To think a human was able to handle that. You're incredible!"

Rinko had a big smile and asked, "Even though I still lost today?" Venipede nodding and replying, "Hey, knowing you, I'm sure you at least put up a good fight. Besides, I lost my match too, so it's not like you're the only one."

Rinko nodded and sighed, "If I could move the rest of my body right now, I would give you the biggest hug," Venipede chuckling and saying, "I didn't think you were the huggy type."

During this time, Tentacruel, Sneasel and Meloetta were headed to a cave where the villains had been hiding up to this point. Meloetta gave them a light smile and said, "I'm sure that come tomorrow, you won't have to live here anymore."

"Yeah, with you by our side, I believe it," Sneasel said with a grin, resting a hand on her shoulder, "Seriously, for someone who looks so weak, you were incredible."

"No, I wasn't," Meloetta uttered with a sad look, "It still pains me that I had to resort to that," Tentacruel sighing, "Still, you did a very good job keeping that sloth from ruining our plan. She may not have wanted to, but she had no choice. Once this is all over, you'll never have to resort to such extremes again."

Unlike Tentacruel, Sneasel felt annoyed by Meloetta's response. While it was great to have such a surprisingly strong ally on their team, it pained the cat that she had to be such a goody-goody at the same time. A part of her just wanted to be honest and act like herself around all of her allies as opposed to pretending to be good because of one.

Once the trio entered the cave, Meloetta sighed, "I also hope we can free the others," Tentacruel nodding while folding her arms, saying, "Yes. It's one thing for them to lose, but to have the government lock them up and take them away to prison without a second thought just because they lost makes me sick."

Sneasel nodded and growled, "The worst part is that even we can't access their prison. If I could find out where they were keeping them, I'd bust them out myself."

"Yeah, they must be suffering already," Meloetta whimpered as Tentacruel rested a tentacle on her shoulder and replied, "It's okay. There's three of us and two of them. From what I saw today, I have no doubt in my mind that we will get our wish. And if the government still refuses even after we defeat their servants, there's something you can do to change their minds, correct?"

"You don't mean-" Meloetta uttered as Tentacruel nodded and replied, "Exactly," the green-haired girl looking down until the jellyfish added, "Though it will only be used as a bartering chip. I have no intention of having you use it for its intended purpose."

Meloetta nodded and replied, "That's good to know," a light smile on her face as Sneasel gritted her teeth, resisting the urge to strike the girl with the back of her paw. Someone really needed to knock some sense into her.

Once four o'clock came around, Lairon returned home and decided to get some rest in before training Machop. While he did so, both the girl and Garchomp told him about how the rest of the match went, the dinosaur laughing and saying, "I'm really impressed, Machop. Overpowering a villain's best defensive manoeuvre is no small feat."

Machop then took a deep breath and said, "I just wish I could have seen the other matches, though. I don't know which one I'm going to face tomorrow, but even if I did, I haven't seen any of them in action."

"Yes, that could very well be a problem," Lairon sighed, "And I have to work again," Machop nodding and replying, "Yeah, that's important."

Garchomp looked worried until the girl smiled and said, "But you know what? After today, I actually feel a bit more prepared, like I might actually be able to win without needing your direction. I was lucky to get even some advice today, but I feel like I shouldn't have to rely on it all the time, you know?"

Lairon nodded and grinned, saying, "That's a good attitude to have, and as long as you never forget your training, you'll do fine," Machop nodding as Eri suddenly jumped up onto her lap, licking her face as she giggled. And sure enough, both Lairon and Garchomp joined into the laughter. While things may have been stressful at the moment, it was best that Machop not let such things eat away at her.

Once Lairon was ready, he and Machop once again went into the back to train with Garchomp and Eri watching from the entrance. After today, the dragon had a lot of hope for her. She was certain that no matter who Machop faced, she would be victorious.

And soon enough, nightfall came around as Machop lay in bed, hoping that Torchic really could join her tomorrow. As confident as she was, the girl still did not believe that she had what it took to take on three more villains all by herself. Even if they did fight her one-by-one, it would still be very difficult.

Torchic, meanwhile, decided to get in as much rest as she could. There was no way she would let Machop down, not when she was still allowed to fight. But after taking in such a heavy beating from Gigalith, would she really stand that much of a chance?

Either way, she and Machop were determined to finish what they started. There was no way all of their hard work would be in vain. They at least wanted to teach these remaining villains a lesson for what they did to their allies.

And while Tentacruel and Sneasel had managed to get to sleep while covered with blankets, Meloetta was wide awake. After all, she was nervous about the upcoming fights tomorrow. She just really hoped that both of her allies succeeded so that she would never have to repeat what she had done to Vigoroth.

After a few minutes, she let out a yawn and thought, 'Yeah, we're gonna make history tomorrow. No more will anyone have to deal with the treatment I did. Besides, some of these humans seem like good people. Maybe I can be friends with them when this is all over.'

And with that, she closed her eyes and finally drifted off to sleep. As long as she kept a positive attitude, she was certain she could succeed.

The night went by quickly as morning came along. Machop awoke bright and early just like she had the previous day. After all, she wanted to be ready for this match as soon as possible.

Meanwhile, in the hospital, Torchic had made enough of a recovery to move her legs. But just as she was about to leave, the doctor held up his hand and said, "Hold on, Torchic."

The chicken blinked as he stated, "You can move, but I wouldn't recommend entering the ring today."

Torchic stared wide-eyed and retorted, "What!?" as the man sighed, "I know how much you want to help your friend, but it's not a good idea. While your legs are fine, Gigalith's weight dealt considerable damage to the rest of your body. In fact, it's a miracle that you were able to get up from that. If you fight today, I can guarantee that one or two hits will likely be enough to send you back here."

Torchic shook her head as the doctor added, "Not only that, but I can't even recommend running. As such, it is for the best that you spend this week taking things slow and avoiding as much movement as possible."

The chicken took many deep breaths and uttered, "Are you certain about this?" the doctor nodding and replying, "I've never been more sure of anything in my life. You can watch Machop's match, but that's all I can recommend today."

Torchic gritted her teeth before sighing, "Okay," the doctor smiling and saying, "Good. I'm glad you understand."

The chicken exited the room and slowly headed toward the door, thinking, 'No, I'm gonna help Machop. I told her I'd be able to fight and I'm keeping my word. She may be tough, but not even she can handle three villains by herself.'

During this time, Machop was seated for breakfast when a news report came on. Tentacruel stood before the camera with a ring set up behind her, Sneasel posing for the viewers while Meloetta lingered in the background.

"So, what are your plans for today?" a reporter asked as he held his microphone in front of the jellyfish, Machop blinking and uttering, "Oh yeah, she never told us when or where my match will take place, did she?" Garchomp saying, "I'm surprised I didn't pick up on that."

"We will hold the event at ten o'clock like yesterday," the jellyfish replied, "but we will have two one-on-one matches today. Therefor, I would like for both Machop and Torchic to come to the park. I feel like it'll be the nicest location to fight in."

Torchic saw this on a big-screen TV while walking along the sidewalk, narrowing her eyelids and thinking, 'That's fine by me.'

"Why only two matches?" the reporter asked as Tentacruel replied, "Well, it's only fair, what with there only being two of Tokyo's representatives left. Besides, I feel fully confident that we can beat them anyway, even if they did manage to defeat our cohorts."

Meloetta, all the while, sighed and thought, 'I like that she's being fair, but we need to end this conflict as soon as possible. She's giving them too much of an advantage. This isn't good at all.'

Either way, she had to remember that she could trust Tentacruel's words. As such, she chose not to question this out loud as the reporter stated, "There you have it, folks. Anyone who wants to see these ladies fight up-close had better come to the same park where Machop fought Lilligant yesterday."

Machop nodded and grinned, saying, "Well, at least it's an area that's easy to get to," Garchomp nodding and replying, "Yeah. I can get you there an hour early if you'd like."

The girl grinned and replied, "Thanks. I could use as much time to prepare as possible."

But just as she was about to head for the van, Garchomp grinned and said, "By the way, Lairon left me with another entrance plan," Machop lowering her eyelids and groaning, "Great."

With all said and done, Machop and Garchomp exited the van as Machop called up Torchic on her cellphone. The chicken heard it and pulled it out of her backpack with her right foot, holding it up to the side of her head and saying, "Hey, what's up?"

"Just checking up on you," Machop replied as Torchic said, "Well, that's mighty kind of you. I'm out of the hospital right now and on my way to the park."

"So you saw the report too?" the girl asked as Torchic replied, "You bet," Garchomp whispering something into Machop's ear, the girl nodding.

"Where are you right now?" she asked, "Garchomp's driving me to the park. We could swing by and pick you up," Torchic not wanting to burden them with such a thing. But remembering her condition and how she could not risk straining herself before the match, she realized this was probably the best idea.

As such, she turned to the nearest sign and gave the street number listed on it. And it was not long until Garchomp arrived at that location to pick her up, Machop grinning as the chicken sat in the back seat.

All the while, Venipede and Rinko were still in their beds, watching the TV to make sure their friends succeeded today. While they may have woken from their comas much sooner than expected, it did not change the fact that they could barely move their bodies. But all the same, they were just glad they could witness the two matches taking place today.

And soon enough, the group arrived at the park as Machop exited the van and stretched, grinning and squealing, "We're gonna kick so much ass today!" Torchic nodding and replying, "Hell yeah we are."

However, Machop noticed a slight look of pain on her face after she said this and asked, "Are you okay?" the chicken nodding and replying, "Of course. I'm a member of the Torch family. We got the strength and resilience of an ox."

"Okay," Machop replied with a shrug of her shoulders, "But look, Torchic, I know how serious things are, but if you don't feel up to fighting today, it's okay. I don't wanna have to fight alone, but I will if I have to. It's my responsibility as a hero."

'Same here,' Torchic thought with a serious look in her eyes, 'I may not be in the right state for this, but my job as a hero is to fight to the bitter end for the sake of the people. As long as I have the strength to move, I will fight.'

With that in mind, she nodded with a grin and replied, "You needn't worry about me. I'll be fine," Machop nodding and saying, "Right," lifting up her fist as Torchic formed one with her right talon, pounding it against her friend's.

At that moment, Eiko and Isamu were dropped off by Noboru, the man waving to them and saying, "Now don't stay out too late, alright?" Eiko replying, "Don't worry, we won't."

Machop smiled wide and waved as Noboru gave the heroes a quick wave of his own. Isamu and Eiko walked over with light smiles as Isamu asked, "So, you gonna kick ass today, Machop?"

"You better believe it," the girl replied with a grin as Eiko said, "And you're gonna be awesome too, eh, Torchic?" the chicken nodding and replying, "Yeah."

With that, Noboru took off as Machop asked, "So, your parents can't watch today?" as Isamu nodded and replied, "Yeah. Yesterday was their last day off this week, so they can't really join us today," the heroes nodding.

"Well, come on," Garchomp said with a grin, "We gotta get ready for the match, though we may as well find out who's fighting who first," the girls and Isamu nodding as they joined the dragon.

During this time, Tentacruel, Sneasel and Meloetta were already by the ring, awaiting their opponents. A few people had already arrived to get front-row seats, Meloetta still saddened by how much everyone treated these fights like shows made strictly for their amusement. She could not wait to get all of this over with.

And sure enough, Machop and Torchic entered the area as Isamu, Eiko and Garchomp headed to the bleachers to get front-row seats. Nori and Yuki had also arrived at this moment as the younger woman asked, "Am I presentable enough?"

"You look lovely, dear," Nori said with a light smile as the two headed toward their desk.

"Nice to see you arrived ahead of schedule again," Tentacruel said with her tentacles folded, Sneasel smirking and adding, "Yeah, it's good to know you still take us seriously."

Machop folded her arms and retorted, "Yeah, yeah, can you just tell us which one of us is facing you?" pointing at Tentacruel as the jellyfish shrugged and replied, "You're mistaken. I'm actually not fighting today."

Sneasel and Meloetta stared in shock as Sneasel whispered, "Didn't you initially want to fight Machop?" Tentacruel nodding and replying, "I did, but I think that would be unfair to you, wouldn't it?"

The cat's eyes sparkled as she whispered, "You are the best boss ever," the jellyfish nodding as Meloetta whimpered, "Does that mean you want me to fight today?"

Torchic stared at her and thought, 'She's not like the others. I have a funny feeling she doesn't even want to do this. If I end up facing her, I could probably win without even having to fight her for real, then I won't have to strain myself.'

And it seemed she would get her chance as Tentacruel stated, "For today's matches, Machop will go up against Sneasel and Torchic will face Meloetta," the green-haired girl biting her lower lip and sighing, "Okay," remembering that she could not break the vow she made no matter what.

Machop glared at Sneasel who grinned and lifted up her arm, making a neck-slitting motion with her claws. But just as she was about to get ready, Tentacruel added, "And by the way, I've decided to have Meloetta's match first."

"What!?" Sneasel retorted as Meloetta tensed up, squeaking, "You want me to go first!?"

Torchic narrowed her eyelids and thought, 'No, she can't know about my current state, can she? Is she doing this to make sure I lose?' before shaking her head and realizing how silly that sounded. After all, it was not as if Tentacruel was in the hospital to hear what the doctor had said and right now, the chicken truly believed that she was doing a good job hiding her condition.

With that in mind, she smirked and said, "I look forward to our match, Meloetta," the green-haired girl sighing and bowing her head, saying, "I'm so sorry I have to fight you."

With that, she headed off to prepare herself as Torchic nodded and thought, 'Just as I thought. She really doesn't want to do this,' and thus the chicken walked toward a secluded area, saying, "I'm gonna train. You go sit with the others."

Machop nodded and gave her a thumb up, saying, "Kick her ass, Torchic," the chicken grinning and giving her friend a toe up.

Needless to say, this would not be easy for Torchic. In her state, she knew that fighting was a bad idea, but she was certain that she could win this. There was no way she would back down, not after coming this far.


	19. Chapter 19

Unbeknownst to everyone, neither Meloetta nor Torchic were training for their match. With the chicken feeling too weak, she was using this time to rest her muscles. Sure, it might not help her too much, but she would surely need all the strength she could get if she was to even stand a chance. And having been on her way to the hospital during Meloetta's match with Vigoroth, she had no idea what to expect.

However, she then remembered one thing she at least planned to do for this match. Thus she pulled two objects out of her backpack and thought, 'If I can't use a lot of energy, I can at least do something to show Venipede and Rinko how much I care.'

The green-haired girl, meanwhile, was trying to clear her head. As long as she had to fight one of the two remaining heroes, she would have much rather started the match immediately just so it could all end more quickly. At the very least, she figured this would likely be the last time she would have to fight, so she would just have to endure it for now.

And once ten o'clock rolled around, the crowd's excitement had risen as Nori exclaimed, "Alright, everyone, it's now time for the second set of matches to begin! Many seem to be looking forward to this first match!"

"I honestly can't blame them," Yuki replied, "We barely saw a thing from Meloetta yesterday, but perhaps Torchic will draw out more of her attacks. Though hopefully, the musical fighter won't get a chance to, what with Torchic's incredible speed and skill."

Torchic took a deep breath as she waited, thinking, 'The doctor said my legs or okay. As long as I don't move my body too much, I might be okay.'

Meloetta, meanwhile, cupped her hands together and thought, 'Please forgive me, Miss Torchic. I'm only doing this to help you.'

"In the red corner," Nori stated, "representing the villains is a melodious warrior who proved herself surprisingly powerful when going up against Vigoroth! With a voice that can literally shatter bones, Meloetta!"

The crowd watched in silence as the green-haired girl approached the ring calmly. Deep down, the people were a touch disappointed not to at least see her dance toward the ring or something along those lines, even if they did want to see her lose. But all-in-all, Meloetta saw no point in putting on a show before a serious fight.

"And in the blue corner," Yuki stated, "fighting for Japan, despite taking in a very heavy beating, she still managed to defeat Gigalith! Presenting the new Texas Phoenix, Torchic!" the crowd going wild as the chicken slowly made her way toward the ring with a serious look in her eyes.

The crowd was truly astounded to see the German Flag tied to her right leg while the Hungarian flag was bound to the other. Needless to say, this was more than enough to make up for the chicken's slow walk toward the ring as even Machop and the others could not help but whistle in admiration.

"It would seem that Torchic has decided to honour her fallen comrades by wearing the respective flags of their countries!" Nori exclaimed, "Germany for Rinko and Hungary for Venipede!"

Isamu blinked and uttered, "Venipede's Hungarian? I never would have guessed," Machop nodding and saying, "Yeah, I was surprised when he told me back in school."

The mention of Rinko's name would have surprised the others if not for the fact that the information had not only been featured in the morning's newspaper but had also been leaked online. And much like Machop, the others saw no need to question why their friend would keep something like that a secret. They figured whatever reason she had could not have been anything too serious.

Seeing the flags and just how serious Torchic looked naturally threw Meloetta off-guard. She had seen enough to know that no one had given her the flags, so there was no doubt in her mind that this tribute to her fallen comrades was a conscious choice. Was this just a front to make the government think she wanted to do this or was she really compassionate about winning this fight?

The green-haired girl shook her head and thought, 'It has to be an act. Deep down, she's probably happy that those other two lost and is hoping that I'm good enough to beat her. Well, don't worry, Torchic, I will not disappoint.'

With that, Torchic slowly entered the ring, though as she could not jump and only had her feet and her beak, it was difficult. But despite that, she still managed to make her entrance look dignified as Eiko's eyes sparkled, the pink-haired girl saying, "Wow, she made that really simple entrance look really cool."

"Yeah," Machop replied with a grin, "You can just tell she's ready for this."

Torchic stared at Meloetta and asked, "Why are you doing this?" the green-haired girl staring in confusion as she added, "Why are you helping Tentacruel? I can tell that you don't want to do this."

"I don't," Meloetta replied with a sigh, "You're right about that. But the truth is, I have to help them. I'm sure you understand."

"No, I don't understand," the chicken remarked as Meloetta stared in confusion, thinking, 'She must be pretending not to understand so the government doesn't hear her? But in that case, why would she bring up the subject at all? Surely she'd try to avoid it. Or maybe this is her own way of asking me for help.'

With that in mind, the green-haired girl struck a fighter's stance and said, "I'm not going to hold back. I promise that I will do my absolute best to win this fight," the chicken taking a deep breath and thinking, 'Oh well, I wouldn't have felt too good about a free victory anyway.'

With all said and done, Torchic stood on her own side of the ring while Meloetta did the same. The chicken narrowed her eyelids and thought, 'Only move your legs. Try not to shift your upper body in any way.'

Nori rang the bell as Torchic raced toward Meloetta, moving her feet as quickly as she could while keeping her body perfectly straight. She would make sure to defeat the green-haired girl with her feet only while also moving quickly enough to avoid taking in damage.

Meloetta readied herself to counter only for the chicken to propel herself into the air, sending an onslaught of rapid kicks into her forehead. The crowd went wild as Meloetta was unable to defend herself, Sneasel feeling alarmed by this. However, Tentacruel looked strangely calm, but why?

This was made clear when Meloetta ignored the pain and reached her arms up toward Torchic's ankles. However, the chicken saw this coming as she delivered one last kick thus forcing herself away from the green-haired girl. And she had managed all of this without moving her upper body, only her legs.

The crowd cheered wildly as Yuki said, "It would seem Torchic is on her A game as she unleashes an onslaught and avoids taking in damage from her opponent!"

And it seemed she was not yet finished as she raced toward Meloetta again. But before the girl could even respond, the chicken sped to the right with the full intent on getting behind her.

But when she noticed Meloetta started to shift her hair back, Torchic could not help but feel intimidated as she instinctively sent a roundhouse into her cheek. The green-haired girl winced in pain as Sneasel groaned, "Come on! Where's all that power you displayed yesterday!?"

However, Tentacruel was once again not the least bit alarmed as she said, "Don't be so quick to judge, Sneasel," and the cat soon saw it as Torchic winced, her body twitching as she thought, 'Dammit, I moved my upper body sideways! I shouldn't do that!'

Isamu blinked and uttered, "Hey, anyone else notice that seemed to have hurt Torchic more than Meloetta?" as Eiko, Machop and Garchomp gave him an odd look, Machop tapping her chin and saying, "Now that you mention it-"

However, Torchic did not wish to let Machop down and thus she ignored the pain and thought, 'No, I will win this!' only to notice Meloetta once again spreading her hair out, said part getting longer.

'I was right, it is a weapon!' Torchic thought as right when Meloetta was about to strike her with it, she propelled herself up into the air again, flying over the green-haired girl's head as her talons caught flame.

"BLAZE KICK ANVIL!" the chicken shouted as she descended toward that very spot, planting both feet hard into it as Meloetta's eyes and mouth were wide with terror.

However, upon landing, Torchic's upper body sunk inward just a little bit as a result of the force of her descent. As such, she tried her best not to cry out in pain as she leapt away from her opponent, breathing heavily with her eyes wide open.

"What's going on?" Yuki uttered, "She looks like she's suffering," as Nori shrugged and replied, "I don't know. Meloetta's the one who's been taking in all the damage so far."

"Okay, I can definitely see it now!" Machop exclaimed, "There's something going on!" Eiko trembling as Isamu groaned, "Oh no, she hasn't fully recovered from her match yesterday, has she?"

Machop gasped as she uttered, "It all makes sense now! That's why her entrance was so simple! She didn't have the strength to make a more impressive one!"

But just as the crowd was horrified for what would happen next, Meloetta had a look of concern as she said, "You don't have to continue. I'm sure if you give up, everything will be okay," Torchic about to retort when Machop exclaimed, "I think you should take her offer!"

Torchic's eyes and beak were wide with shock as even Meloetta could not believe she had heard Machop say this. Perhaps giving up was not frowned upon by the government, but now that Meloetta thought about it, such an idea made little sense.

"Machop, I can't-" Torchic remarked only for Machop to bark, "I told you before! I don't want to have to face all three of these people by myself, but I will if I have to! I don't want you to wind up back in the hospital for my sake!"

Isamu had to admit, hearing those words from Machop truly amazed him as his cheeks flushed pink. However, he very quickly returned to a more serious look and said, "She's right. If you had told us you weren't in good enough condition for this match, we would have stopped you from entering the ring!"

'So Tentacruel was right,' Meloetta thought, 'Those humans actually care about our kind. But surely that Machop girl knew about this ahead of time, right?'

However, just as it seemed like she might finally catch onto Tentacruel's lies, the jellyfish folded her tentacles and sighed, "Isn't that just deplorable? To think the government would actually make her fight in her condition," Meloetta nodding and saying, "Right."

'Wait, what?' Torchic thought as she shook her head, figuring this meant nothing as she snapped, "I admit it, I am in no condition to win this match! I realize that now, but I'm not going to quit! My mother never quit against any villain no matter what and I'm not gonna quit either!"

'Villain?' Meloetta thought as Sneasel sighed, "Look at that, still calling us villains just because the government wants them to," the green-haired girl nodding and saying, "Right."

Torchic ignored these words as she raced toward Meloetta again. However, after having strained her body twice, she was feeling incredibly weak as she found herself struggling to continue forward. And as much as it pained Meloetta to do this, she knew that she would have to take advantage as she thought, 'I'll use one of my less powerful techniques to finish you off.'

With that in mind, she once again expanded the length of her hair and whipped it toward Torchic, wrapping it around her. She then proceeded to stand on one foot, spinning while shouting, "PIROUETTE SWING!"

Thus she sent the chicken flying backwards into the turnbuckle, her eyes and beak wide open as the crowd stared in horror. And just as the others feared, Torchic was down for the count as this one hit had taken a serious toll on her upper body.

"I would have liked to have seen Meloetta beat her when she was at her best, but a win's a win, I guess," Sneasel sighed as Tentacruel smirked, saying, "You may be disappointed, but I'm honestly amazed Torchic lasted as long as she did."

Meloetta gasped and turned to face her as the jellyfish sighed, "I admit it, I could tell from the look in her eyes that she was in no condition to fight. That was why I chose to have her fight first. I couldn't allow her to regain any strength. For all we knew, she could have been a genuine threat if I did that."

The crowd gasped as Nori said, "It would seem that Gigalith's efforts against Torchic were not wasted as that slam she took in made her too weak to sustain more than one hit from Meloetta. Thus the musical warrior has won this match," Yuki ringing the bell as everyone was truly mortified.

"So you took advantage of her?" Meloetta whimpered as Tentacruel sighed, "I know it's dishonest, but it had to be done. You knew that we would have to resort to such extremes to get what we want, right?" the green-haired girl nodding and sighing, "Right."

Machop gritted her teeth and growled, "Mark my words, Torchic. After I wipe the floor with Sneasel, I'll make sure Tentacruel pays for that setup!" Eiko nodding with a light smile.

However, Garchomp had something else in mind as she asked, "Hey, have any of you noticed that Meloetta doesn't seem happy with Tentacruel's decision?" Machop and Eiko turning to face her.

"Yeah, I noticed it," Isamu replied with a frown, "In fact, I noticed before the match that she didn't even want to fight Torchic. Hell, she offered her a chance to avoid further injury."

"Yeah, that does seem strange for a villain," Machop said as Isamu rested his hand against his chin and stated, "I get the feeling this girl's more than just an ally for Tentacruel."

However, before Machop could think further about that, there was one last thing she needed to take care of as she got up from her seat and sprinted toward the ring. And once she was close enough, she climbed into it and ran over to Torchic, asking, "Are you okay?" the chicken mustering up enough strength to utter, "I know it's scary, but do your best to defeat them," closing her eyes and losing all consciousness.

"Dammit!" Machop cursed as she gritted her teeth, "I wish you'd said something!" as Meloetta watched this with curiosity.

But just as she was about to think that maybe Machop and Torchic wanted to win, she remembered that this could very well be an act. After all, the cameras were still focused on them meaning the government could have been watching their actions at this very moment.

Machop then took a deep breath and said, "I'll make sure to defeat all three if I have to. Don't you worry about a thing, Torchic. By the time I'm done, Tentacruel will wish she never chose to mess with us."

With all said and done, the girl got up and walked toward the preparation area, Tentacruel saying, "Good, she's got the right idea," Sneasel nodding and walking off to her own side. She had no idea why Tentacruel chose not to face Machop, but the cat could not have been more excited to fight her instead.

Meloetta smiled at Sneasel and said, "Good luck," the cat smirking and saying, "I don't need it, but thanks for your concern," before thinking, 'God, I can't wait until we stop working with that airhead!'

Garchomp went to join Machop as she had to help set up the entrance Lairon thought up, Isamu gulping and groaning, "I really hope she can do this. There's still three of them and only one hero left."

Eiko nodded and replied, "Machop's awesome, but now I'm starting to wonder if she can pull this off."

All the while, Meloetta bit her lower lip and asked, "Tentacruel, if you don't mind me asking, why specifically did you choose me to fight Torchic? I wasn't going to say anything before, but, well, I'm sure you could have won against her easily."

"I'm flattered that you acknowledge this, but this was a test of your loyalty to me," Tentacruel replied as the green-haired girl stared in confusion, the jellyfish adding, "You've done plenty of prove that you are, in fact, up to this task, but I really had to make sure that you would truly do anything for our cause. The fact that you were willing to harm her further despite her condition proves that you really are devoted this."

Meloetta had a light smile on her face now as she nodded and replied, "Glad I could help," though she really hoped that she would never have to do that again.

All the while, Garchomp was currently dressing Machop up for her entrance as she uttered, "Is this really necessary?" the dragon nodding and replying, "Your father did something very similar in preparation for his first match in the Next Gen Battle. When Gardevoir and Gallade lost their matches, he did something extra special to show that he was fighting for their sake. The audience may not have understood what he was trying to get across, but it was still very creative."

"Well, if you say so," Machop replied with a shrug of her shoulders.

And once ten minutes had passed, Yuki sported a serious look and stated, "Well, ladies and gentlemen, it's time for the final match of the day! With only one hero left to protect Tokyo, we will certainly need to give our full support to make sure she doesn't meet the same fate as her comrades!"

The crowd was truly pumped for the event as Isamu sighed, "Please, Machop, show me more miracles," as Eiko nodded and said, "I'm sure she can do this."

"In the red corner," Nori stated, "representing the villains is the fierce feline who exposed Rinko and put her out of commission! With razor sharp claws and speed that can put even the legendary Jolteon to shame, Sneasel!"

The crowd watched in silence as the cat performed a somersault toward the ring. Once close enough, she propelled herself high into the air and flipped vertically, landing on her feet with her arms out and shouting, "BOW DOWN TO US, TOKYO!" the people booing and hissing her in response to this statement.

The cat bowed her head and blew them kisses as Meloetta stared in confusion, uttering, "Why is she enjoying that reaction?" Tentacruel fibbing, "She's only pretending to. The truth is, those boos are eating away at her, but if she lets that get to her, she won't be able to concentrate."

"Oh, okay," Meloetta replied with a nod of her head, "That makes sense."

"And in the blue corner," Yuki stated, "a mighty warrior who recently defeated Lilligant! Harnessing the ultimate genes, Machop!"

The crowd stared in silence as Machop walked toward the ring wearing a traditional Hungarian dress while a giant German sausage was strapped to her back. And the crowd could tell it was real as its smell emanated through the air, the girl trying not to look as embarrassed as she actually was.

Though while the audience was confused by this, Meloetta was intrigued. While Torchic's entrance was a good way to communicate her desire to fight for her friends, Machop had gone all the way, wearing something related to Venipede's culture while carrying Rinko's favourite food.

Currently, the brunette was staring at this on the screen and uttering, "Oh god, I wish I was there right now," Venipede all the while tapping his chin and saying, "She actually looks really good in a dress."

However, while they may have liked Machop's look for the correct reasons, everyone else broke out into hysterics while one spat, "OH MY GOD, YOU LOOK RIDICULOUS!" another asking, "WHAT'S WITH THE GIANT SAUSAGE!?"

"For your information, sausages are Rinko's favourite foods!" Machop retorted as the crowd nodded, one shrugging and saying, "You know, it's a pretty bad sign when you have to explain it."

Machop fumed as Meloetta was really confused. For a supposed act to trick the government, this was very convincing. However, rather than realizing the truth, the green-haired girl smiled and thought, 'Once this is over, I'll help her become a stage performer. She was made for that.'

Machop took a deep breath and pulled out the sausage, tossing it over to Garchomp, saying, "You can eat this if you'd like," the dragon blinking as the girl removed her dress, throwing it out of the ring.

Sneasel, meanwhile, grinned and said, "Well, that was a rather amusing entrance," Machop retorting, "Can it! Just focus on the match!"

With that, it was finally time for the fight to begin. Isamu and Eiko both gave Machop a thumb up as they were certain she could win this.


	20. Chapter 20

It was finally time to begin the final match of the day as Yuki stated, "Well, the combatants are set. So without further ado, let's begin!" ringing the bell.

All the while, Garchomp, Isamu and Eiko were enjoying the big sausage thanks to a set of utensils brought by the dragon as the boy asked, "Wouldn't it have been easier to use a fake sausage?" Garchomp shrugging and replying, "Lairon wanted authenticity."

Machop held up her hands defensively, thinking, 'Lilligant forced me into a false sense of security before. I'm not falling for that again,' as Sneasel smirked and asked, "You're giving little old me the first strike? Oh, I'm flattered."

The girl tried her best not to let this get to her as the cat raced toward her with her claws at the ready. Machop could not believe how fast she was, but she could not afford to make any mistakes as she watched her like a hawk. And once Sneasel was close enough, Machop sent a jab into her gut as her eyes widened.

The crowd cheered as Machop took hold of the cat's wrists, leaning backward and planting her skull hard into the mat. Nori grinned at the sight of this and exclaimed, "And Machop is off to a good start as she slams Sneasel hard into the mat! Let's see what else she has in store!"

And it only got better when the girl leapt toward her downed opponent, flipping vertically and sending an axe kick into her gut. The cheers were even louder as Isamu breathed a sigh of relief, saying, "Not gonna lie, I was a little worried this would start like yesterday's match."

Meloetta stared in horror as even Tentacruel was surprised that Machop had gotten such a good start, the girl gritting her teeth and barking, "This is for all the pain and suffering my friends have dealt with! Venipede, Rinko, Torchic, I know you probably can't hear me, but I'm gonna make these monsters pay for what they did to you!"

"Wow, she's so awesome," Eiko uttered as Isamu nodded and grinned, saying, "That she is," taking a bite of the sausage.

Garchomp, meanwhile, had the biggest grin on her face. If only Lairon could have seen that. He would have been so proud of the girl.

Meloetta, however, could not believe what she had just heard. Once again, this all seemed sincere, like Machop was not faking this in the slightest. Now she was really starting to wonder if Tentacruel could be trusted.

Sneasel slowly rose to her feet and hissed, saying, "Good to know you're just as much of a threat as I figured you'd be. I'd have been disappointed if defeating you was easy, but don't think for a second that you've won!"

Machop rolled her eyes and remarked, "Yeah, yeah, I've heard that song and dance before. Come up with something more original and I might actually feel intimidated."

Meloetta blinked and uttered, "But she wasn't singing, was she?" Tentacruel sighing, "It's an expression."

Sneasel smirked and said, "You won't be so smug after you see this," before vanishing. The crowd gasped as Machop stared silently, uttering, "Where'd she-?"

She was cut off when she received a cut to her side, crying out in pain as blood flew out of that very spot. And it only got worse when she took in another one to her other side. After a few more seconds, Sneasel leapt at the girl and latched her arms and legs around her, planting her claws into her flesh.

The crowd stared in horror as Isamu spat, "MACHOP!" Sneasel leaping high into the air and flipping backwards, shouting, "YARN BALL!" planting the girl's skull hard against the canvas.

Machop's eyes and mouth were wide open as she coughed up blood. Yuki stared in shock as Nori stated, "And with a couple of good slashes followed by the move that finished on Rinko, Sneasel has already drawn blood. Could this match be even shorter than when Machop fought Voltorb?"

It seemed like that might be the case as Sneasel removed her claws and allowed Machop to collapse. However, she did not believe that for a second. While her easy loss to Voltorb was infamous, the amount of damage she sustained while fighting Gyarados and how she was able to survive all of it was even more well known.

As such, Sneasel leapt high into the air and flipped herself upside-down over Machop, saying, "I may not have used too much on Rinko, but I'm not taking my chances with the likes of you!"

With that, she started to spin like a drill as she descended toward the girl, shouting, "FELINE POWER DRILL!" as Isamu got up and spat, "COME ON, MACHOP, YOU CAN HANDLE MUCH MORE THAN THAT!"

Hearing this, the girl's eyes shot wide open as she immediately rolled to the side, Sneasel unable to stop herself as she planted her claws into the canvas. Though while everyone expected her to get stuck in the material, she managed to shred enough of it to create a small hole, thus once the spinning stopped, she leapt backward and landed on her feet, glaring at Machop who had risen back up.

The crowd looked relieved as Yuki stated, "It was a close call, but Machop has managed to avoid possible death," Meloetta uttering, "She wasn't really going to kill her, was she?"

"Of course not," Tentacruel replied, "That announcer is just being judgemental all because we're not fighting for the humans," Meloetta folding her arms and sighing, "I really hope this ends soon."

But while Machop had escaped, she was frightened out of her mind. She had started off strong, but already she was bleeding and it was all thanks to Sneasel's claws. What could she possibly do?

Seeing her fear all over her face, Sneasel smirked and said, "Well, I'm impressed that you avoided that, but it looks like all that talk of revenge was nothing more than mere words," as her ear feather started to glow. The crowd gasped as Nori stated, "And Sneasel sets up for her Feather Sword."

'Okay, that does not sound good!' Machop thought as the cat got down on all fours, sprinting toward the girl while shouting, "FEATHER SWORD!"

Rinko's eyes widened as she spat, "COME ON, MACHOP, DODGE IT!" only for Venipede to utter, "You know she can't hear us, right?"

However, it seemed Machop intended to do just that, remembering exactly what Lairon would do in this situation. As such, the girl leapt up just in time to avoid the incoming feather, the crowd cheering as she landed perfectly on her feet, breathing heavily with sweat pouring down her face. While she may have dodged the move, she could not deny that was way too close for comfort.

And to make matters worse, she was once again unable to attack Sneasel after dodging. If this kept up, it would only be a matter of time until the cat managed to hit her again.

Sneasel seemed to think the same thing as she smirked and said, "You know you can't keep that up forever, right?" turning around while still on all fours, Machop trembling until she suddenly thought of something. She had actually come up with an idea, and it did not take her too long to come up with it.

With that in mind, she gulped and uttered, "You're right," the others staring in shock as the girl sighed, "I'm simply not fast enough to beat someone as amazing as you. You may as well just finish me off right now," before holding out her arms.

"What's she doing!?" Eiko squeaked in panic as Isamu turned his gaze toward a certain spot on the mat, saying, "I think I get it. Not too long ago, I watched Machoke's match against Talonflame where he tried something very similar. However, it failed when he did it, but Machop's plan is much simpler. It might actually work."

Garchomp nodded and said, "I think I might know what you're referring to," as Sneasel went down on all fours, smirking and saying, "Finally, you're talking sense."

However, Meloetta was not so sure about this. Machop was talking about quitting, allowing Tentacruel and her allies to win and take over Tokyo. If she truly had a microchip in her brain set to electrocute her under such circumstances, how was she still standing?

Whatever the case, Sneasel was ready as her feather once again glowed, the cat saying, "Since you admit that I'm superior to you, I won't cut you in half with this," before racing toward her and shouting, "FEATHER SWORD!"

But just as she was less than a second away, Machop smirked and leapt over her as she once again passed her by. But before she could stop herself from running, her eyes widened when the claws on her right foot ended up running into the hole she had created with the ones on her paws earlier. And due to her incredible speed, she wound up tripping and flying forward, falling flat on her chin.

The crowd soon realized what had just happened as they cheered, Machop leaping toward Sneasel with her arm raised and ramming her elbow into her back. Isamu grinned and said, "I knew it," Eiko clapping and squealing, "WOW! I NEVER WOULD HAVE THOUGHT OF THAT!"

Meloetta blinked as Tentacruel folded and tentacles and said, "Just think, if she was actually planning on giving up there, she would have been electrocuted," the green-haired girl questioning this mentally. It was not as if the government was giving the heroes instructions on what fighting tactics they should use, so how would they know what she was planning?

Either way, she still trusted Tentacruel's words and thus all she could do was hope that Sneasel would be able to make up for this. And the cat would certainly need to act soon as Machop sat on her back and took hold of her chin, pulling up on it for a camel clutch.

The crowd went wild as Nori stated, "And just when we thought Machop couldn't possibly get the advantage back, not only did she catch Sneasel off-guard with the hole she put in the mat but she has even managed to catch her in a devastating submission hold! Let's see Sneasel get out of this!"

However, the crowd was shocked to see that the cat did not look the least bit frightened. Instead, she had a wicked smirk on her face as she said, "Oh, come on. Of all the submission holds you could have gone with, you choose one that I can easily escape from."

With that in mind, she planted her claws into the mat and used them to push her body backward, sliding her head out of Machop's hold. The girl's eyes widened as Eiko uttered, "How did she do that?"

Garchomp frowned and said, "I should have seen that sooner. Cats have unbelievably flexible spines, so it's easy for them to ignore having their backs bent. That also made it easy for her to slide her chin out of Machop's hands."

Sneasel took full advantage of this, wrapping her arms around Machop and saying, "You've certainly been a pain so far, but honestly, your friend was a much tougher opponent. I expected better from a member of the Mach family."

With that, the cat leapt backward and planted the back of Machop's neck hard against the canvas. The girl gasped in pain as Sneasel released her hold, allowing the rest of her body to fall. Needless to say, the crowd was worried now as Yuki said, "And just as quickly as Machop got the upper hand back, she seems to have lost it as Sneasel escapes from her camel clutch and lands a mighty suplex."

But just like before, Sneasel knew better than to allow Machop a chance to recover. As such, she decided to take a simpler approach as she leapt onto the girl's back, shouting, "CARPET CLAWING!" and scraping the claws on her feet against that very spot.

Machop cried out in pain as blood flew from the gashes forming in her back, Isamu in absolute panic now as he had no idea how Machop could avoid this. Any movement would only make the damage dealt to her worse.

While it pained Meloetta to see her ally have to resort to this, she noticed something about Sneasel. She had suspicions before, but now she could not help but feel like they had to have been true. Just from the look in her eyes and the big grin on her face, it was plain as day that the cat was enjoying every second of this. She liked dealing all of this pain to Machop.

"Tentacruel, I think Sneasel's actually trying to kill Machop," Meloetta whimpered as the jellyfish shook her head and replied, "No, she won't do that, but it is true that she enjoys fighting to be a certain degree. Surely you've heard that some people do this for entertainment purposes, right? Our kind has folks like that too, and while Sneasel knows how serious this situation is, she still gets a slight kick out of it every now and then."

"Oh, okay," Meloetta replied, "So that's why she felt the need to put on a show before the match," Tentacruel nodding and explaining, "Exactly. Even under the worst of circumstances, it's hard to take the showman out of her."

While Sneasel continued to tare away at Machop's flesh, she let out a maniacal laugh before shouting, "COME ON, JUST GIVE UP! UNLIKE ME, YOU LACK THE SKILLS TO GET OUT OF A SITUATION LIKE THIS!"

Machop gritted her teeth and tried to ignore the pain as Isamu groaned, "I'm starting to think maybe she should," as Eiko retorted, "But if she does, evil will have control over us!"

However, Garchomp had something in mind as she stood up and exclaimed, "HEY, MACHOP!" the girl turning to face her as she added, "Surely you're aware of a certain defensive tactic your family is known for, right!? Why don't you try it!?"

Machop's eyes widened as she thought, 'That's right. It's not something we use often as it takes a lot of energy to pull off, but right now, it's my only option.'

With that in mind, the girl gritted her teeth as she started to push herself up only for Sneasel's feet to keep her from rising, the cat laughing and shouting, "Wow, you must be really stupid if you think that's gonna work!"

Her eyes went wide as seconds after she said this, Machop pushed her back up in an arch formation, her muscles expanding just a little bit. However, this small increase in size was just enough to cause Sneasel to lose balance as she tripped and fell on her back.

The crowd went wild as Garchomp breathed a sigh of relief, Isamu asking, "How did you know about that?" the dragon replying, "It was long ago during the Ultimate World Team Tournament. Machoke took in the diamond of a former villain named Diancie to his back. The only way to avoid succumbing to the move was to expand his muscles and force it out. I figured with his genetics, Machop could probably do the same thing."

However, the girl was unsure of how she had pulled that off. But even so, she would not let this opportunity for a comeback go as she leapt toward Sneasel, sending another axe kick to her gut.

The crowd went wild as Machop decided to take this a step further, getting behind Sneasel and wrapping her arm around her neck. The cheers got even louder as she charged toward the turnbuckle, forcing the cat's skull into it.

"And just as all seemed lost, Machop has managed to escape with her family's famous muscle expansion technique!" Nori exclaimed, "It's a great defence but requires a lot of energy, so it's not used often, but when it is, it can be very effective!"

Sneasel groaned as she rubbed her feet, hissing and turning toward Machop. She had been annoyed by the girl's early lead, but now she was actually mad. She could not believe that such a simple defensive tactic was enough to turn the tides against her.

With that in mind, the cat knelt down and growled, "Alright, I'll admit, this match has been fun so far, but now I just wanna end this as soon as possible!" Meloetta blinking and uttering, "Is she okay?"

Tentacruel blinked and replied, "You probably won't wanna watch this. It's hard for Sneasel to control herself when she gets this mad."

At that moment, a dark aura started to emit from Sneasel as Machop held up a defensive stance, uttering, "What's she doing?"

With that, the cat vanished once more as she exclaimed, "FELINE FRENZY!" appearing in front of Machop and sending a barrage of rapid-paced scratches to her chest.

Blood flew from that very spot as the girl cried out in pain. However, it seemed the cat had more planned as she stopped her assault, sending a hard two-legged kick into Machop's face, causing her to back up slightly.

Sneasel then landed against the canvas before leaping toward Machop with both claws raised, a dark aura surrounding them. The crowd gasped, Isamu wanting so badly to get up and run into the ring while Eiko covered her eyes, the cat swinging her arms downward and shouting, "PURRNISHMENT!"

While many found the name of the move lacking in creativity, it did not change the fact that it was still very effective as two big cuts formed on Machop's torso. Thus she coughed up blood as more of the substance squirted out of her, the girl's eyes rolling to the back of her head as she fell on her back.

Sneasel finally started to calm down as her aura left her, the cat grinning at her handiwork and saying, "And that's how it's done," folding her arms and asking, "Well, announcer ladies, how's about you confirm my victory right now?"

No one could believe what had just happened. Sneasel had only used that dark power for half-a-minute and yet it looked like this was more than enough to finish off Machop.

"Come on," Isamu groaned with a look of terror in his eyes, "Tell me this isn't the end. She can get up from this, right?" Eiko nodding and giving Garchomp puppy dog eyes.

The dragon took a deep breath and stated, "It is true that Machoke had a knack for getting up from beatings like this, but I don't know if Machop's the same. For all we know, this might be it."

Meloetta took a deep breath and thought, 'At least she's still breathing. Once Sneasel's victory is confirmed, it'll all be over. We'll finally be able to live in peace with the humans who up until now have mistreated us for being different.'

"COME ON!" Rinko spat as Venipede tried to shush her, the girl glaring and retorting, "This is hardly the time for hospital etiquette! Seriously, I refuse to let this be the end!"

"But we can't do anything about it," Venipede groaned, "I wish we could, though. This is just painful."

It truly seemed like the end as Nori took a deep breath and nodded at Yuki, the younger woman saying, "It would seem that despite all of her best efforts, Machop can no longer stand. Thus the winner of this match is-"

"HEY, DON'T COUNT ME OUT JUST YET!" came a familiar voice as everyone gasped, Machop slowly pushing herself upright and breathing heavily. The crowd was truly amazed as the girl managed to rise all the way up to her feet, grunting, "I'm not done yet!"

Sneasel's eyes and mouth widened as she shook her head slowly, uttering, "Why can't you stay down?" Tentacruel frowning as Meloetta trembled.

What if Machop was too powerful to defeat? What if she alone could prevent them from fulfilling their goal? But more so, why did she not at least pretend that all the damage dealt was enough?

Either way, the crowd broke out into heavy cheering and applause as Nori exclaimed, "After a very close call, Machop has pulled off that famous Mach family miracle and risen to fight some more! But can she make up for all the damage dealt to her by Sneasel's onslaught or is she only delaying the inevitable?"

Isamu gave the girl a serious look and thought, 'I really hope this is worth it. You have an opportunity to turn this around. Use it. Show me those miracles.'

All the while, Rinko and Venipede breathed simultaneous sighs of relief. But even so, they were hoping for the same thing as Isamu. Machop had truly earned herself another chance and there was no way she could afford to waste it.


	21. Chapter 21

After a very close call, it seemed Machop was still able to stand up to Sneasel. But with the cat having been such a pain and the girl covered in blood, could she take full advantage of this new opportunity or was she only delaying the inevitable? Whatever the case, she could not give up. She was the last line of defence preventing Tokyo from being taken over.

Seeing just how serious Machop looked about all of this made Meloetta once again wonder if this really was all an act. All of her emotions during this match combined with her and Torchic paying tribute to their fallen allies with their entrances seemed far too convincing.

"The next time I knock you down, you will stay down, got it!?" Sneasel snapped as she rushed at Machop, sending her claws out rapidly and shouting, "FELINE FRENZY!"

But just as Machop was about to succumb to another barrage of slashes, she lifted her arms up, pointed her elbows toward the mat and sent them inward. This managed to trap Sneasel's arms in place as she gasped, trying her best to pry them out.

However, Machop would not allow her to escape as she fell backward, pulling the cat up while doing so. She then planted her feet hard into her gut and sent her flying high into the air. With that, the girl leapt up to her level and latched her hands onto her ankles, spreading her legs out and latching her ankles onto her neck.

Sneasel's eyes were wide with terror as Machop spat, "METEOR WARHEAD!" sending her skull hard into the canvas as she coughed up blood, the crowd going wild as Yuki exclaimed, "And after taking in all that punishment, Machop makes up for all of it with the same devastating finisher that defeated Lilligant! Let's see if this is enough to take Sneasel down!"

Tentacruel narrowed her eyelids and thought, 'Oh well. Even if she loses, that just means I can finally have my match with Machop.'

All went silent as Isamu grinned and thought, 'Yes, that has to be it. No opponent has ever gotten up from one of those techniques,' Eiko and Garchomp beaming bright.

But just as it truly seemed like the match was over, the crowd gasped as Sneasel's body twitched. Machop's eyes widened as she trembled and uttered, "No, it can't be," the cat planting her claws against the mat and slowly pushing herself up.

Her arms were trembling all over as she breathed heavily, growling, "No, I want to be the second villain to defeat you! I want my name in the history books!" Meloetta uttering, "Villain?"

"She's just referring to the label given to her by the public," Tentacruel replied with a nervous laugh only for Sneasel to add, "Your family has been nothing but a burden to us ever since your grandpa, Machamp entered the scene! Imagine how many of us could have taken over Tokyo if it hadn't been for him! And Machoke was even worse, defeating every single villain he ever fought! At least Machamp actually lost every now and then! And even whenever that happened, his stupid friends would come and ruin everything!"

'So this has been going on for a long time?' Meloetta thought with her eyes wide open, Sneasel grunting, "As if that's not enough, they've always had this annoying tendency to turn our allies against us! Seriously, how many villains did Machoke and his friends bring to the side of good!? It was at least ten, I'm sure! Hell, Machamp convinced Bouffalant, one of the greatest villains of all time, to join his side! It makes me sick just talking about it!"

Isamu blinked and uttered, "Wow, Machop's family is even more incredible than I first thought," Garchomp nodding and saying, "That's part of why they have such a stellar reputation."

"And to think Torchic actually got Vigoroth to join your side, but I heard you played a part in that!" Sneasel added, "And I even heard that Gyarados joined Hero School just so she could fight alongside you!"

"Really?" Machop uttered, "When she said she had something she needed to do, I didn't think it was something like that."

"Hero School?" Meloetta uttered, "But I thought you were all being controlled by the government!" the people all staring as she added, "You have chips inside your brains that are set to electrocute you if you turn against them, right!? They bought you so they could force you to fight to protect them from us, creatures just looking for acceptance!"

"What the hell are you talking about?" Machop retorted as the others talked amongst themselves as well, Tentacruel growling and thinking, 'Shit. It's too late now. Sneasel, you said way too much! Why couldn't you keep your trap shut, you moron!?'

"You are oppressed by most humans, right?" Meloetta whimpered, staring into Machop's eyes, "That's what happened to me. Hundreds of years ago, I tried to make friends with them. Because I wasn't human, they chased me out of town and had a wizard seal me in stone. They trapped me in Nippara Limestone Cave all because I was born different."

"I was just about to ask you about that, but holy shit, you really have been living under a rock for a long time," Machop uttered as Venipede and Rinko stared in shock at the screen.

Torchic had regained enough consciousness to hear this as she thought, 'I knew it. I knew she had a different reason for serving Tentacruel. I could tell before my match that she wasn't really evil.'

"Times have changed," Machop stated with a warm smile, "The truth is, our kind has been accepted by humans for at least two-hundred years. It all started way back when the first hero, Pikachu defeated the evil Horsea."

Meloetta was truly shocked as Machop added, "Not only are we accepted by humans, but as of one-hundred-and-fifty-three years ago, we can even mate with them. Heck, my grandma is a human. One of Rinko's mamas is an insect. Torchic's daddy is a human."

"My mom was a human too," Garchomp said with a grin as Isamu was truly amazed by all of this.

"This is the reality I was trying to achieve," Meloetta uttered, "Only much better," a big open-mouth smile forming on her face.

With that, she turned to Tentacruel and squealed, "Did you hear that!? We don't have to do this anymore!" Machop and her friends face-palming as Sneasel groaned, "Did you forget everything I just revealed?" Tentacruel glaring at her as she gulped nervously.

"That brings me to the reason we fight beings like Tentacruel!" Machop stated, "See, she and her friends fight for the side of evil! They want nothing but control over all of mankind! My friends and I, we trained in a school for heroes on Hero Planet to ready ourselves for this! We fight to make sure the citizens of Earth don't have to cave into the demands of evil!"

Meloetta was truly shocked as she uttered, "Is that true?" staring at Tentacruel with fear as the jellyfish shrugged her shoulders and sighed, "Guess there's no use hiding it. Yes, everything you just heard is the truth."

The green-haired girl gasped and backed away from her, breathing heavily as Machop grinned and said, "Don't worry about it. I fully intend to take her down once I'm finished with Sneasel. They'll be behind bars soon enough."

Sneasel gritted her teeth in irritation and retorted, "THAT'S WHAT YOU THINK!" as her dark aura formed again. She then charged at Machop and exclaimed, "KITTY SHADOW!" sending a slash powered by darkness into the girl's side.

Machop's eyes and mouth were wide open as blood trickled down from that spot. And yet despite all of the damage she had taken in up to this point, she continued to stand as she bit her lower lip and placed her hand against her side.

"Machop, you don't have to do this," Meloetta uttered, "I can finish what you started," Sneasel glaring at her and retorting, "You want a piece of me too!?"

"Don't worry about it," Machop replied with a grin, ignoring all pain dealt to her, "As long as I can still fight and my opponent is still evil, I won't give in!"

"SHUT UP!" Sneasel retorted before going down on all fours, her ear feather glowing once more as she charged toward Machop, shouting, "FEATHER SWORD!"

But just as she was about to land another hit, Machop leapt up a bit earlier than she had the last couple of times. And sure enough, this seemed like the perfect moment as she landed just in time to plant her feet into the cat's back. Thus Sneasel had been stopped in her tracks as she coughed up blood, her legs and arms spread out as she fell hard on her belly.

The crowd cheered wildly as Garchomp clapped, saying, "I wish Lairon could have been here to see that," Isamu nodding and exclaiming, "Yeah! Finish her off, Machop!"

"You don't need to tell me twice!" Machop replied with a smirk before taking hold of Sneasel's wrists and ankles, propelling herself high above the ring while spinning and flipping herself one-hundred-and-eighty degrees.

The crowd was even more excited as Nori exclaimed, "And it would seem Machop has set up Sneasel for that infamous family technique!" Machop applying extra pressure to Sneasel's back as she cried out in pain.

With that, the cat was unable to respond as her head soon made contact with the canvas, Machop shouting, "MUSCLE TORNADO!"

Sneasel's eyes rolled to the back of her head as Machop released her hold, leaping away from her and landing on her feet. She then turned as the cat's body collapsed, all going silent as Meloetta cupped her hands together, hoping this was truly the end of the match now. She wanted this all to end as soon as possible so at least one more villain would be out of commission and sent to prison.

And after ten seconds, Yuki nodded and rang the bell, exclaiming, "After a very close match, our winner is Machop!" the crowd cheering wildly as the girl lifted her arms in the air, forming peace signs with a big grin on her face.

Tentacruel frowned as Meloetta breathed a sigh of relief. She then distanced herself from the jellyfish, not wanting anything to do with her anymore.

However, Machop's celebration ended as quickly as it started as she winced and knelt down, groaning, "Dammit, that Sneasel was persistent."

Seeing this, Isamu and Eiko immediately raced toward the ring as Garchomp got up and pulled out her cellphone, calling up Lairon. Luckily, he was on break right now as she gave him the good news. Needless to say, he was very happy to hear that Machop had won without any advice.

Isamu took hold of Machop's right arm and asked, "You okay?" Machop nodding and replying, "I'll be fine, especially now that we got us a new ally, right?"

Meloetta stared wide-eyed and uttered, "You'd actually let me be your friend after everything I've done?" Machop nodding and explaining, "Something Daddy has always believed in is giving people second chances, and I respect him for that."

"I should still probably serve time for all that I did," Meloetta uttered, "Or at the very least, apologize to Vigoroth and Torchic," Machop nodding and saying, "You'll have plenty of time to make up with them. Trust me, I'm sure the world will accept you."

The green-haired girl's eyes sparkled as Tentacruel growled, "You were supposed to be my key to world conquest! After Tokyo, we would go across the entire planet and spread chaos wherever we went! I should have known it wouldn't last!"

Meloetta frowned as the jellyfish was just about set up a time and location for her match with Machop. But before she could do so, the green-haired girl said, "I'll fight you right here, right now."

"What?" Tentacruel remarked as Meloetta nodded and said, "You heard me. I may not like fighting, but as long as it's for the innocent, I will. Besides, defeating you will be my first step in paying back all of Tokyo for helping you defeat four of their heroes."

The crowd's interest increased as Nori stated, "Just as we thought today's matches had come to a close, Meloetta has challenged her former boss to a fight. But will she accept?"

Tentacruel smirked and said, "I was trying to avoid this, but alright, if you insist."

With that, the jellyfish charged at Meloetta, the green-haired girl squeaking, "Aren't you going to-" only to be cut off when Tentacruel's tentacles bound her in place.

"Now that you know I'm evil, I have no reason to play fair," Tentacruel said with a smirk before leaping high into the air and leaning backward, planting the green-haired girl's skull against the mat.

Machop's eyes and mouth were wide open as Isamu and Eiko immediately helped her exit the ring. They would have come back to Sneasel if Tentacruel had not released her hold on Meloetta and lifted the cat up.

"You were a good ally, Sneasel, but you're getting in my way," the jellyfish said before hurling her out of the ring.

Eiko gasped and released her hold on Machop, running over with her arms out and catching the cat mid-fall. She then breathed a sigh of relief and scowled, Tentacruel laughing at the sight of this.

"Why would you help her like that?" she asked, "Are you stupid or something? She tried to kill your friend there," as Eiko scowled and said, "If Machop's gonna give her opponents a second chance, I will too."

"God, it's like something out of a Saturday Morning cartoon," Tentacruel groaned as Meloetta scowled and whipped her hair out, binding it around the jellyfish and saying, "I have no idea what that is, but I don't care. I'm going to make you pay for leading me on like that."

With that, she swung her hair around and sent the jellyfish flying into the turnbuckle, the crowd cheering as Yuki stated, "And Meloetta takes full advantage of Tentacruel's lack of attention."

The jellyfish scowled and said, "I thought you were too good to take advantage of me like that. Guess I can't risk letting my guard down after all."

Right now, Meloetta was too angry at the jellyfish to care about fairness as she let out a soothing melody. Everyone was confused until small lines travelled toward Tentacruel, her eyes sagging before closing as she snored.

"Surprised she didn't try that on Vigoroth," Machop uttered as Meloetta raced toward Tentacruel with both arms back and spat, "WAKE-UP SLAP!" ramming her palms into her face.

Just as the name implied, this was more than enough to wake the jellyfish up while also dealing an incredible amount of damage in the process. Needless to say, Tentacruel was shocked to see a bit of blood coming from her face. It seemed that somehow, using this move after putting her to sleep with a lullaby doubled its power.

Even so, there was no way Tentacruel would allow herself to lose as when Meloetta sent her hair out again, the jellyfish lashed her tentacles out. The green-haired girl's eyes widened as they managed to bind to her hair, Tentacruel leaning backward and lifting her up. Machop and the others winced as her skull was slammed against the canvas.

However, Meloetta scowled and ignored the pain, propelling herself back up. Tentacruel had to admit that she was impressed as she thought, 'I see, now that I've managed to anger her, she's become much more aggressive and stronger. However, she seems to lack variety when it comes to her abilities. I can take advantage of that.'

With that in mind, she waited for the green-haired girl to attack again as she once again whipped her hair out. Tentacruel smirked and leapt over it, saying, "Is this really the best you can do? You are so predictable."

'Predictable?' Meloetta thought as that very word seemed to distract her. This left her wide open as Tentacruel unleashed an onslaught of rapid kicks into her skull, shouting, "JELLYFISH BOMBARDMENT!"

Meloetta tried her best not to let this get to her when suddenly, all the pain Torchic dealt to her head earlier returned. And it made perfect sense. She only had a little bit more than thirty minutes to rest up from that match. That was hardly enough time to recover, even if the fight itself was short.

Tentacruel could see this right away as she thought, 'Hook, line and sinker,' before wrapping all of her tentacles around the green-haired girl.

Now Meloetta felt light-headed as Machop spat, "HEY, FIGHT BACK!" as Isamu gulped and uttered, "I don't think she can. Something tells me Tentacruel had the exact same plan for her that she had for Torchic."

"Oh no, she's doomed, isn't she?" Eiko whimpered as Isamu sighed, "Sadly, yes."

Hearing this, Garchomp gritted her teeth as Tentacruel leapt high above the ring with Meloetta still in her clutches. She then tucked her lower body in and shifted the green-haired girl underneath her so her belly was facing the mat. Then to top it all off, she proceeded to plant her beak-like formations into her back as she winced.

"If you had decided to face me tomorrow, you might have stood a chance," Tentacruel said before descending toward the mat and shouting, "TUSK BUSTER!"

Everyone stared in horror as Meloetta uttered, "I'm sorry, Machop. I guess you'll still have to fight her," but just as she was about to make contact with the canvas, the crowd gasped when Garchomp flew into the ring and positioned herself below her, the green-haired girl's belly running into her back right above the dorsal fin as she winced from the pain.

Yuki stared wide-eyed as Nori stated, "Just as it seemed Meloetta was going to succumb to a very powerful finisher, Garchomp has selflessly risked her own well-being to save her."

The dragon remembered a time many years ago during the twenty-second Hero Olympics, specifically the semi-finals. After Lucario defeated her, since he was not quite himself at the time, he lifted her up and hurled her out of the ring, which at the time had been risen two stories off the ground.

Just as she was about to land and have her injuries increased, Machoke's trainer, Aipom, selflessly dashed toward her and caught her. She wound up breaking her legs in the process, but she had also saved Garchomp from possibly being crippled.

The dragon was glad to have done the same for Meloetta until she felt some kind of liquid land on her head. And sure enough, this was blood that the green-haired girl had just coughed up, her eyes having rolled to the back of her head.

Tentacruel released her hold on the girl and said, "So much for being Meloetta's saviour. You got yourself hurt for nothing."

This did seem to be the case as Meloetta fell sideways off of the dragon's back. As if that was not enough, she could no longer move as Nori rang the bell, saying, "And despite Garchomp's best efforts, the winner of this match is Tentacruel."

However, Garchomp did not look as distraught as she should have been when she noticed Meloetta was still breathing. As such, she grinned and slowly pushed herself back up, uttering, "At least she's not dead."

Tentacruel folded her tentacles and growled. She had wanted to break as many spirits today as possible, but it hardly mattered. At least with Meloetta and Sneasel taken care of, she would finally have her match with Machop, but unlike with Torchic, she wanted to fight her at her fullest, prove that she could defeat her when she was not suffering massive injuries.

With that in mind, the jellyfish smiled and said, "Machop, we will have our final match in three days. But to make it interesting, not only will we fight in the local arena, but we will have our match at ten PM as opposed to AM."

"So you'd rather face me at night," Machop said with a smirk, "Bring it. I'm ready for that," Isamu nodding and saying, "Yeah, I'm sure you can do it."

"Well, you heard it yourself," Nori stated, "The big event will take place in the evening just three days from now. Be there."

And with all said and done, Garchomp lifted up Meloetta and smiled warmly, saying, "Don't feel too bad. You did the best you could. I'm sure Machop can finish what you started."

With that, she carried Meloetta toward the exit to the park, planning to take her to the hospital like she had done for Vigoroth. But just as the group was about to head off, Eiko lifted up Sneasel, who she had resting on a nearby bench and said, "We should get her medical treatment too."

Isamu nodded and replied, "Yeah, good thinking, sis," as the group carried her off. And unbeknownst to them, Sneasel had enough consciousness to hear everything they had said. As such, she was really starting to wonder if she had chosen the right path.

Either way, despite all the hardships, today had mostly been successful. Machop had won her match and Meloetta learned the truth, thus the group had likely gained themselves a new ally. All Machop would have to do was defeat Tentacruel three days from now and everything would be okay in Tokyo once more.


	22. Chapter 22

Currently, Machop was in the hospital where Venipede and Rinko still could not leave their beds. But while the two wished they could get up and leave the hospital, their condition was nowhere near as bad as Torchic's.

Machop had gotten a bit of treatment herself. Because Sneasel had cut her in multiple places, the girl was currently covered in bandages to stop the bleeding. If anything, it was a miracle that she was still in good enough condition to fight in three days.

"Seriously, Machop, you did a great job," Rinko said with a grin as Venipede nudged her, the brunette nodding and remembering that currently, he was the only one she had talked to about her secret identity.

"So you're not mad about me lying to you guys?" she asked as Machop shrugged her shoulders and said, "Look, you probably have your own personal reasons for this. The idea of humans fighting creatures like us, it's not exactly considered normal. The important thing is you're still our friend."

Eiko and Isamu watched this from the entrance as the boy had a light smile on his face, saying, "You know, with all this drama going on, it's nice to have a tender moment like this every once in a while."

After Machop talked some more with Venipede and Rinko, she and the others headed off to see Torchic. Luckily, she had not strained herself too much, so the time she would need to stay away from the ring had not been increased by a whole lot. But even so, she had been scolded by the doctor for not following his instructions.

"Honestly, I'm just glad you're all still alive," Machop said with a grin, "But man, Torchic, you're either the most badass chicken in the world or the craziest fighter who ever lived."

The chicken let out a sigh and replied, "I figured as long as I could still fight, I may as well try. But, still, it's nice that Meloetta's come around. I was worried she might end up being your last opponent."

Machop nodded and said, "Same here," before putting on a more serious look and adding, "I'm gonna make Tentacruel pay for leading her on like that. There's no way I'm gonna lose. I'll work my ass off if I have to."

"I bet you will," Torchic replied with a grin as she lifted up her leg lightly, forming a fist with her talon. And with that, both pounded their fists together as the chicken felt lucky that her legs had not taken in any damage during the fight.

Finally, it was time to check on Vigoroth who had only just regained the ability to move, the sloth grinning when she saw Machop enter. The girl returned the gesture and asked, "So, how you holding up, your majesty?"

"Please don't call me that," Vigoroth remarked, "Dad said I can only fight evil if I pretend not to be a member of the sloth kingdom," Machop uttering, "Well, it's not like there are any cameras here," before shrugging her shoulders.

"Wait, she's a member of royalty?" Isamu whispered as Eiko nodded and said, "She admitted to that when she fought Torchic. She's the princess of the sloth kingdom," the boy's eyes wide with shock.

"Anyway," Vigoroth replied, "I should be able to move within the hour. It'll take more than powerful shock waves to take me down," flexing her muscles.

"Um, by the way, if you see Meloetta again-" Machop uttered as Vigoroth sighed, "It's fine. I was awake to see today's matches. I know why Meloetta did what she did and I'm just glad she learned the truth before it was too late."

Machop breathed a sigh of relief and replied, "Thank god. I was worried there might be bad blood between the two of you," Vigoroth sighing, "Well, I am pissed off, but more so at Tentacruel. The way she just took advantage of her like that, it's sickening."

"By the way," Machop asked with a grin, "are you gonna stay in Tokyo?" Vigoroth shrugging her shoulders and replying, "Not sure yet. I'd love to fight alongside you guys, but at the same time, there are other places in the world that need more heroes. I'll really need to think about it."

"Well, if you ever decide to stay here, you're more than welcome," Isamu said with a grin as he walked over and added, "Hi, I'm Isamu," the boy holding out his hand as the sloth shook it, Machop explaining, "He and Eiko here are our new friends."

Vigoroth nodded and shook Eiko's hand before saying, "It's a pleasure," Eiko tensing up at the very idea of shaking hands with a princess while Isamu chose to honour the sloth's request and not treat her like more than just a new friend.

But before the group could take off, Machop stopped by Meloetta's room to check up on her one more time. Luckily, she would be able to recover in time to support Machop as Garchomp had prevented the finishing blow from dealing too much damage. But as for now, the multiple head injuries she had dealt with today would keep her out of commission for a while.

With all said and done, Machop, Isamu and Eiko were ready to head off as Garchomp waited for them in the van. And as they entered, the girl asked, "I know I've asked this, like, three times now, but are you sure your back's okay?" the dragon grinning and replying, "I told you, even at my age, I can still handle pain."

And so the group took off. Once again, Garchomp and Machop had offered to let Isamu and Eiko stay for a while, the humans agreeing as the boy called up their parents to let them know. After everything that had happened today, they knew Machop could use some down time, and the last thing they would want was for her to be bored.

Since the other two matches had not been particularly long, it was only a little bit past one. As such, Lairon was still not home yet thus giving the girls and boy plenty of time to enjoy themselves. Machop would surely spend the rest of her free time training, but for now, the others figured she may as well relax. After all, it was not as if Tentacruel was planning to harm anyone until the match started.

Once four rolled around, Lairon returned from work as he gave Isamu and Eiko a friendly hello. However, the one he really wanted to see was Machop as he grinned and said, "I heard you did a really good job today."

"Well, I'm not sure about really good," Machop replied with a sigh, "As you can see, I took in a lot of pain before I won," Lairon shrugging and saying, "I'm impressed that you still managed to win after taking in as many slashes as I heard you did."

Machop blinked as Lairon grinned and said, "The important thing is that you beat that powerful enemy without any advice. No matter how you look at it, that's still pretty impressive. Most would have fallen to the level of pain Garchomp described to me."

"Really?" Machop uttered as the dinosaur nodded and replied, "Trust me, your dad has had far more close calls in his lifetime than you have. I think you have what it takes to carry on the family legacy."

Machop's eyes sparkled as the dinosaur added, "By the way, I already know about your plan to rest for today, and I agree. We'll start training again tomorrow," the girl nodding and feeling grateful to have such an understanding trainer.

And soon enough, night came around as Isamu and Eiko had headed home a few hours ago. Machop lay in bed with a serious look in her eyes, thinking, 'I won't let all of our efforts be in vain. Mark my words, Tentacruel, you're going down.'

The following day was thankfully a day off for Lairon, so he and Machop got to work shortly after breakfast. And like always, Garchomp and Eri decided to check up on them every now and then to see if they needed help. After a while, Lairon called her out to help with something similar to when Machop prepared for her match with Gyarados.

"So, what's going on?" Machop uttered as the dragon grinned and replied, "I'm gonna prepare you for that Tusk Buster of Tentacruel's."

The girl blinked as Lairon nodded and said, "With her arms, she should be able to emulate it to a certain degree, right, honey?" Garchomp nodding and replying, "Yes. I don't have anything to bind your entire body with, but I'm sure I can help you prepare for the possibility of Tentacruel using this move on you."

Machop nodded and said, "Well, it would be nice to know how to escape from that. It looks really brutal," the girl remembering just how much damage it dealt to Meloetta. Even with Garchomp softening the blow, it still drew blood and knocked her unconscious.

With that, Garchomp lifted Machop high above the ground before planting her claws into her back. Machop winced in pain, trying to find a way to escape from this only to wind up being driven into the surface below. Lairon let out a sigh as Garchomp removed her claws, asking, "You okay?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine," Machop grunted as she rubbed the area below her neck, "If I can't get out of that, there's no way I could stand up to the real thing. She uses tentacles to make it harder to escape. How can I compete with that?"

Garchomp let out a sigh and folded her arms, saying, "I hate to say it, but she has a point. I can get the stab to the back down pat, but I don't have anything to bind her in place with."

Lairon tapped his chin and nodded, saying, "I think I know what we can use."

Minutes later, Machop was bound in ropes as she uttered, "I dunno about this," Garchomp remarking, "Hey, you wanted accuracy. This is the best we can do."

But just as the dragon was about to take to the sky again, Venipede and Rinko were walking by when they peered over the fence. Seeing their friend tied up, the centipede blinked and uttered, "What are you doing?"

"Oh, hey guys," Machop said with a grin, "Good to see you finally up and about."

And soon enough, the two were in the back yard as all had been explained to them. Venipede nodded and sighed, "Yeah, I can see why you'd wanna do this. Take it from someone who's been on the receiving end. This move is deadly."

Rinko blinked and asked, "Worse than Sneasel's slashes? I doubt it," the centipede shrugging and replying, "Well, yeah, your injuries did look worse."

"I dunno," Machop replied, "While it's true her moves don't look quite as deadly on the surface, I get the feeling she might be a tougher opponent than Sneasel. Something about the way she fought Meloetta was really alarming."

"I'll admit, she definitely seemed more aggressive than when she fought me," Venipede replied as Machop gasped, "That's right! You fought her first! You probably know all about her other abilities!"

"Well, she didn't use a whole lot on me either," Venipede replied with a sigh, "In fact, what she used on Meloetta yesterday wasn't that much different from when I fought her."

Machop groaned as Rinko patted her on the shoulder, saying, "Hey, we'll help you train for your match too. Even if you never figure out how to get out of her signature moves, I'm sure you can still beat her."

Machop blinked as Venipede stated, "I think so too. I mean, you did take multiple scratches and come out okay."

"Even so, we can't rule out the possibility of failure," Lairon replied, "Machop's shown incredible improvement since her loss to Voltorb, but that doesn't mean we can just allow her to take in as many attacks as Tentacruel can dish out."

"Exactly," Machop replied with a sigh, "If I can figure out how to at least deal with her strongest moves, it'll increase my chances by a lot, right?" Lairon nodding and saying, "Exactly."

And with that in mind, Garchomp once again tied Machop up and set her up for her own version of the Tusk Buster. But despite all of their best efforts, the girl could not find a way out of it. The only method she could think of was expanding her muscles, but since that took so much energy to pull off, it was recommended that she try to avoid using that tactic unless it was really necessary.

After a while, Lairon decided to give it a rest so she could focus on other things, such as basic fighting techniques and defensive manoeuvres. With the jellyfish's multiple tentacles, Machop would need as much practice against this as possible. Needless to say, Venipede's presence was a blessing as he had enough arms to at least help with that.

After a few more hours, Lairon took a deep breath and said, "Well, I think that's enough training for today," Machop staring as he added, "If you over-exert yourself, you're not gonna have enough strength for your match. If anything, you should spend at least half of each day resting."

"But how can I think of rest and relaxation when I'm about to fight evil?" the girl retorted as Garchomp sighed, "If you worry too much about it, it could throw you off. A little rest could do you some good."

Rinko was starting to wonder about that herself. While she understood the point of rest and free time, she was often only okay with such things when there was no evil to worry about at the present time. Seeing as there was still one villain left to worry about, taking a break seemed weird to her.

Venipede, on the other hand, seemed to realize exactly where Lairon was coming from as he nodded and said, "He's right. You need to save up quite a bit of energy for your match otherwise you'll end up too tired to concentrate. Believe you me, that happened to me once before."

Venipede remembered far back to the age of ten when he got in his first fight. What appeared to be a cross between an angler fish and a tadpole named Chinchou was bullying a young boy in his class. As the centipede was not as much of a wimp back then, he saw this as his first opportunity to prove himself worthy of his family name. He would be a hero just like his mother.

Wanting to look even more tough, the angler agreed to his terms and set up the fight for the next day after school. As such, Venipede spent the rest of the day training for the fight, knowing that he was not going up against a human but a being with powers.

Unfortunately, because he spent so much time training, he had lost a lot of sleep. Not only did this make it hard for him to stay awake in class but by the time the fight came around, he was so drowsy that his vision was disoriented. He was unable to focus on the fight at hand and was unable to deal to a single blow.

And sure enough, he soon fell victim to an attack Chinchou called Electro Flail, in which he spun the growths on his head like a propeller and struck the centipede multiple times with it while the ends were covered in electricity. Under normal circumstances, this would not have been enough to defeat Venipede, but since he was so tired, this one move was enough to knock him unconscious as he had to be rushed to the nurse's office.

Not only had he lost because of all the training he had done, but this was the moment where he developed a fear of fighting. Just remembering this moment reminded him of why he had joined Hero School in the first place. It was to help him get over the paranoia he had gained that day.

After he told the girls about this, Machop nodded and said, "I never realized it could be that serious. I figured just a good night's sleep would be good enough, but damn."

Rinko nodded and added, "Well, I guess we may as well let you enjoy some downtime," Venipede implying a smile and saying, "I'm sure you'll be awesome as always, Machop."

Machop gave him a light smile as Lairon grinned and said, "You got yourself some good friends there," the girl nodding and replying, "Yeah, they're awesome."

With all said and done, Machop spent the remainder of the day resting up. With Lairon at work the following day, Garchomp agreed to help her prepare for the Tusk Buster until he got back, but only for a couple of hours. After all, she would need energy for the afternoon when the dinosaur was there to train her.

While on break, she decided to check back to the hospital to see how those who had not yet left were. Torchic was finally able to move again, only just like before, she would need to go a week without straining her upper body. Since she had lost, she no longer had a reason to fight, so this was fine with her.

Vigoroth had left long ago and spent quite some time looking around Tokyo to see what it was like. After all, she had not exactly refused Machop's invitation for her to join the team.

But most importantly, Meloetta had started to recover as she smiled upon seeing Machop and her friends pay her a visit. Venipede and Rinko had chosen to hold off on their plans for the day for this as they wanted to get to know the green-haired girl themselves, especially now that she was no longer serving evil.

"So, how's your training been going?" Meloetta asked, "I could tell just from her fights with me and Venipede that she's really strong," Machop giving her a warm smile and replying, "Don't you worry about a thing. I got this."

Meloetta nodded and turned to Torchic, a look of shame on her face as she whimpered, "Sorry for hurting you so badly. I thought-" only for the chicken to cut in and reply, "It's alright. You thought you were doing the right thing. As you can see, I'm okay now, so no major harm done."

Venipede implied a big smile with his eyes and said, "Don't worry about your past. What matters is that you're cool now," Rinko nodding and adding, "As long as you don't turn on us, you're always welcome in our group."

"So does that mean you'd consider me a friend after everything I've done?" Meloetta asked as the group nodded, light tears welling up in the green-haired girl's eyes as she sniffed, "Thank you so much. I've never had real friends before," wiping her eyes.

Machop grinned and said, "When all of this is over, we're gonna take you somewhere special. You'll love it," Meloetta nodding after she managed to dry her eyes, Torchic saying, "That's only if you can defeat Tentacruel."

The girl nodded and said, "Right. I'm gonna train my ass off once Lairon gets home, but I'll also stick to his advice and get enough rest so I'll be ready for tomorrow. Don't you worry, Meloetta. I'll make sure Tentacruel doesn't succeed."

And soon enough, four o'clock came around shortly after Machop returned home. After Lairon had a bit of a rest from his day at work, the two spent the next three hours training. This time, it was only the dinosaur and Garchomp helping out, though.

However, despite all of Machop's hard work, she had not yet found a way around the Tusk Buster. But even with that in mind, she felt ready for just about everything else the jellyfish had in her arsenal, so perhaps she could pull this off.

And with all said and done, it was time for bed as Machop crawled under the covers and rested her hands behind her head. She then looked out the window, took a deep breath and thought, 'Don't worry, Tokyo. I'll make sure you're safe and sound.'


	23. Chapter 23

The day of the match had finally come. Since Machop had until the evening to prepare herself, she decided to use the first few hours leading up to noon for training purposes. Though like Lairon suggested, she would take it easy until the match came along in order to be fully prepared.

All the while, Meloetta was finally out of the hospital, but in order to feel safe, she decided to walk through the streets with Vigoroth by her side. All the while, she turned to the sloth and asked, "So you're really okay?"

Vigoroth rolled her eyes and sighed, "Look, it's water under the bridge," Meloetta raising an eyebrow as she sighed, "It means everything's okay."

The green-haired girl nodded and said, "Sorry, I'm still getting used to everything," as Vigoroth patted her on the shoulder and said, "Honestly, considering how long you've been stuck in that cave, I'm impressed you've gained an understanding of most of our terminology."

However, while talking, Meloetta found herself looking back and forth every so often, Vigoroth asking, "Afraid Tentacruel's gonna jump out of an alleyway and attack you?" Meloetta nodding and whimpering, "I know she beat me in a fight already, but I'm worried she might kill me for turning against her."

"Don't you worry about a thing," Vigoroth replied with a grin, "If she comes along, I'll deal with her myself," Meloetta smiling bright and saying, "Thank you so much."

The sloth chuckled and said, "You know, if I hadn't fought you before, I wouldn't believe someone like you could be so strong," as Meloetta bit her lower lip and replied, "Well, I only resort to violence when I feel I have to."

Vigoroth nodded when suddenly, the green-haired girl added, "Though I wouldn't mind getting some lessons," Vigoroth turning as she added, "See, Tentacruel was able to see through my attacks after the first little while. She told me I lacked variety, but I didn't think that mattered. What if I have to face another villain in the future and he finds me too predictable as well?"

Vigoroth nodded and said, "Well, a little variety can definitely help. Tell you what, if Machop manages to win her match tonight, I'll help you develop some new techniques."

"Really?" Meloetta asked with her eyes sparkling, Vigoroth nodding and replying, "Yeah. We're friends now and friends help each other out."

While they were unsure whether or not they would ever get a chance to use their skills again, Venipede and Rinko were using this time to get some sparring in, the brunette now wearing sports outfits now that she no longer had to pose as a mantis. After having lost their matches, they wanted to improve their skills even more.

After three hours, the two were breathing heavily as Rinko held her knees, saying, "You're getting a lot better," Venipede nodding and adding, "You too. I actually think getting rid of that costume has improved your speed."

"You know, I do feel lighter in these clothes," she said with a grin, "And a lot less sweaty."

Venipede nodded and replied, "I also think I like you better this way," Rinko blushing lightly and asking, "Really?" the centipede nodding and saying, "Yeah, it's much better to be yourself."

For some strange reason, the brunette felt a touch disappointed to hear him say that. But what did she want him to say? Whatever it was would be a mystery for the time being as she smiled and nodded, saying, "Yeah, it really is."

Once nine in the evening came around, many were gathered in the same arena where the first three villains had been defeated. Needless to say, many were excited to see if Tentacruel would finally meet her match or if Machop would last as long as her friends against her.

Luckily, since the match was held so late, Lairon could give her advice despite it having been a work day. And of course, Machop was very happy about this. As much as her confidence had risen lately, she still felt like she could use the dinosaur's tips.

Of course she had been driven there so she could prepare herself, Lairon resting a hand on her shoulder and saying, "Come on, Machop, let's go set up another amazing entrance, eh?" Machop retorting, "I swear to god, if this one ends up embarrassing me like the last three, I'm coming up with my own."

Garchomp chuckled as the others saw her off, Isamu saying, "So you're telling me her dad used to come up with entrances like that all the time," the dragon nodding as Eiko stated, "I don't see what the big deal is. I think they're kinda cool."

"Then how come you never applaud them?" Isamu asked as the pink-haired girl laughed nervously, Torchic slowly making her way to the entrance along with the others.

Eiko waved excitedly, Meloetta looking rather nervous as Vigoroth gave her a right claw up seeing as she had no actual thumb. The green-haired girl nodded with a light smile and approached the humans, saying, "Hello, um..."

"Isamu," the boy replied as his sister added, "And I'm Eiko. I don't believe we've been properly introduced yet."

Meloetta nodded and shook both their hands, asking, "So you're okay with me being part of your group?" Isamu nodded as the green-haired girl gave them a sweet smile.

"Good, now let's get going," Rinko said with a grin, "I wanna get front-row seats," Eiko replying, "Don't worry about that. Mom and Dad are saving those for us."

All the while, Machoke and Gardevoir were both tuning in to see how their daughter would perform. They were already proud of her for having defeated two of Tentacruel's allies, but the fate of Tokyo still hung in the balance.

Tentacruel, meanwhile, was testing her skills on a practice dummy, sending a variety of punches into it and grinning wickedly, exclaiming, "When I'm through with you, Machop, I'll be the true queen of evil! Everyone will remember me as the one who took over Tokyo! Voltorb may have beaten you, but his victory was quickly forgotten when he lost to a human in disguise! No one will forget me!"

She then wrapped her tentacles around the dummy and held extra tight until the material tore open, all of the stuffing flying out and hitting the wall. She then laughed and exclaimed, "I love being myself! It pained me to put up such a gentle front around those morons I once called allies!"

The hour soon passed as the seats were filled, Nori exclaiming, "Alright, everyone, it's finally time for the main event to decide Tokyo's fate! Will we be free from tyranny once more or is this finally it!?" Yuki trembling and uttering, "It's hard staying positive under such circumstances."

However, when her mother gave her an odd look, she cleared her throat and stated, "In the red corner, the final villain standing! She has beaten both Venipede and Meloetta with her amazing fighting skills! With a mix of ferocity and gentleness, Tentacruel!"

The crowd booed and hissed as Tentacruel walked toward the ring, smirking and saying, "Boo me all you like. You'll be kissing my feet soon enough."

Once she had entered the ring, Yuki added, "And in the blue corner, the last hero standing in Tentacruel's way. She has saved us from the likes of Gyarados and even defeated two of Tentacruel's allies. With amazing strength and skill, Machop!"

The crowd went wild before noticing the girl marching toward the ring with a fishing pole strapped to her back. Lairon grinned as Machop pulled it out and cast the line onto the turnbuckle, using it to pull herself toward it. But once she was close enough, she gained too much momentum and thus her face ran straight into the pole, the girl groaning as the crowd broke out into hysterics.

"Oh, I just got it," Isamu uttered, "She's facing a sea creature, so she used a fishing rod to pull herself toward the ring. You know, I think I preferred the psychotic gardener approach. At least she looked intimidating."

Garchomp chuckled and said, "Well, at least they're creative," Machop throwing the rod away and climbing into the ring.

Tentacruel smirked and said, "You know, your last entrance may have been stupid, but at least it had a good concept. That was just embarrassing," as Machop retorted, "Shut up! Lairon worked extra hard to prepare that and I thought it was a great idea!"

'I don't know whether to laugh or cry,' Lairon thought with a grin, 'After all her talk about embarrassment, it seems like this hasn't discouraged her in the slightest.'

All the while, Machoke grinned and said, "That was actually a good concept," Gardevoir nodding and adding, "I didn't think Lairon could think of something like that."

"I still don't understand," Meloetta uttered, "These fights are supposed to be serious yet they care so much about their entrances."

"In a way, there is more to an entrance than just putting on a show for the crowd," Torchic replied with a grin, "They also relieve stress and build up the fighter's confidence before the match. In other words, it helps keep us on our toes."

Meloetta was now wondering if she should try that if she ever had to fight again while Rinko said, "Whatever. I just want the match to begin so I can see Machop wipe the floor with Tentacruel's smug face," Venipede nodding in agreement.

With that out of the way, Machop and Tentacruel stood on separate sides of the ring as Yuki stated, "Well, folks, the combatants are set! Let the match begin!" ringing the bell.

Machop held up a defensive stance as Tentacruel smirked and raced toward her with her tentacles at the ready. Her form seemed surprisingly sloppy as she left her midsection wide open. However, Lairon could tell right off the bat that this was intentional.

As such, he exclaimed, "Machop, swerve to the right!" the girl confused by this but refusing to question him after what happened the last time she did so.

With that, she dodged to the right as Tentacruel thought, 'Perfect,' moving in that direction herself and latching the tentacles on that side to Machop's arm. Her eyes widened as the jellyfish swung her around, sending her flying into the turnbuckle.

The crowd gasped as Nori stated, "Machop tries to dodge but is caught mid-way!" Lairon blinking and thinking, 'What just happened?'

However, he had to get his head back in the game when Tentacruel leapt toward Machop with her leg tentacles pointed outward, Machop ready to counter when the dinosaur barked, "Dodge her again, but move faster!"

The girl nodded and did just as instructed. However, it seemed Tentacruel was once again prepared as she bound her tentacles to the turnbuckle, flinging herself toward Machop and ramming her skull into her side. The crowd winced as she fell hard against the mat, Tentacruel wrapping her tentacles around her and holding on tight.

"Oh no!" Venipede groaned, "She's already been caught! Even I couldn't get out of those!" Rinko biting her lower lip as Isamu gritted his teeth, growling, "Come on, it can't be over yet."

"And once again, Machop tries to dodge only to fall victim to another countermeasure!" Nori stated, "While Lairon's advice was really effective when Machop faced Gyarados, it doesn't seem to be helping at all right now!"

The crowd then started to boo the dinosaur, throwing cans and wrappers at him and shouting, "WHAT THE HELL, MAN!? ARE YOU EVEN TRYING!?" another barking, "IF SHE HAD COUNTERED THOSE OTHER MOVES, SHE PROBABLY WOULD HAVE AVOIDED DAMAGE AND DEALT SOME HERSELF!"

Lairon's eyes were wide with terror as Garchomp spat, "HEY, STOP PELTING MY HUSBAND!" as Eiko sighed, "I agree with them, but that's just harsh."

"No, I get the feeling there's more to this," Isamu growled, "Those were good ideas. I get the feeling Tentacruel's even more crafty than she first seemed, and she already seemed crafty to begin with."

Meloetta trembled and uttered, "Oh no, she's going to lose, isn't she?" Vigoroth patting her on the shoulder as Torchic replied, "I doubt a few good moves are enough to finish Machop."

Machop groaned as Tentacruel laughed and said, "I hate to say it, but the crowd is right. Your master's strategies may have been fine against someone as rash and reckless as Gyarados, but against a genius like me, his strategies are predictable. Just look at how well you did when facing Sneasel and Lilligant. You defeated both of them without his advice."

Hearing this, Lairon stared in shock and thought, 'Is she doing what I think she is?' before looking down as his mind added, 'Though she might actually be right.'

"Hey, can it!" Machop snapped as she gritted her teeth, using all her might to lift herself up, Tentacruel smirking and saying, "As if I'd let you turn my submission hold against me."

With that, she leapt backward and planted the back of Machop's head into the turnbuckle, the girl coughing up a bit of blood as the jellyfish released her. Thus she collapsed as her body twitched, Yuki saying, "Not even three minutes into the match and Machop already looks weak."

Meloetta trembled as even Vigoroth and Torchic was unsure of whether or not their friend really could win. But just as all hope seemed lost, Machop gritted her teeth and pushed herself upright, taking many deep breaths.

Tentacruel did not look the least bit intimidated as Machop snapped, "I don't care what you say! Lairon is the greatest trainer a girl like me could ask for!" the dinosaur's eyes widening as she added, "You may not realize it, but when I lost to Voltorb, it was because I only relied on my physical strength! Lairon taught me how to use my brain in battle! When I fought Lilligant, I wasn't able to do a thing until he gave Garchomp a call and told her to relay some really good advice to me! Once I knew what to do, the match became much less difficult!"

Tentacruel blinked and thought, 'I didn't know that,' as Machop continued, "And you might think my victory over Sneasel was all my own, but if it hadn't been for all the lessons Lairon taught me prior to that match, I wouldn't have been able to come up with half the counters I managed to pull off, maybe even more! You've just been lucky so far, that's all!"

The crowd was truly amazed, some members feeling ashamed of themselves for the way they treated Lairon. The dinosaur had a light tear in his eye as he thought, 'Thank you, Machop. I needed that. I can't believe I just about lost faith in myself.'

Meloetta had a light smile on her face as Torchic said, "For a second there, I thought Machop was gonna turn against him like when she fought Gyarados."

However, Tentacruel rolled her eyes and sighed, "You may think that was pure luck, but it wasn't. I saw those strategies coming a mile away, but whatever. Keep taking his advice and see what happens."

"I think I will," Machop retorted as the jellyfish charged at her again with her tentacles spread out just like before. But just as Machop was ready to take Lairon's advice, she was shocked when he seemed to come up with nothing.

Garchomp could see this as she thought of something, shouting, "Hey, Machop, jump over her!" Machop blinking and nodding before leaping high into the air.

Tentacruel blinked as the girl planted her feet into her skull, performing a vertical flip and landing behind the jellyfish. She then reached around and took hold of her tentacles, pulling them back and lifting her up, planting her skull hard against the canvas.

The crowd went wild as Yuki exclaimed, "And with a bit of advice from Garchomp, Machop has managed to finally land not one but two hits on Tentacruel!" Machop releasing her hold and allowing the jellyfish to collapse.

But rather than looking happy with these results, Lairon looked ashamed, as if he should have been the one to come up with that. How had such an obvious tactic not crossed his mind? It made perfect sense. That was the one countermeasure Tentacruel was not prepared for.

Machop looked at the dinosaur with concern until Tentacruel rose to her feet, saying, "That certainly caught me off-guard, but I doubt you can do that again!" the jellyfish sending an onslaught of punches toward her.

Just as Machop was about to take in damage, Lairon was going to suggest dodging instead of a counterattack. However, after what had happened earlier, he was uncertain whether or not that would work as Machop asked, "A little help?"

Isamu saw something she could try and exclaimed, "Try a roundhouse!" Machop nodding and swinging her leg toward Tentacruel's side. With the jellyfish distracted by her own attack, she was unable to respond as she took the kick, wincing in pain as Machop sent a hard punch into her face, causing her to back up as the crowd went wild.

Once again, someone else had given Machop useful advice while Lairon was unable to come up with anything that could help. What good was he as a trainer if he was not the one giving pointers?

Tentacruel noticed this and smirked, thinking, 'I didn't count on this, but I can use it to my advantage.'

"I have to admit, I'm impressed," the jellyfish said with a grin, Machop scowling as she added, "Your trainer has certainly taught you well, or, I would mean that if those counters were a result of his teachings."

The crowd was confused as Isamu groaned, "Oh, shit, I think I know where he's going with this," as Tentacruel added, "It's funny, isn't the trainer supposed to be the one giving advice?"

"I hate to break it to you, but taking tips from audience members isn't against the rules," Nori said as Tentacruel remarked, "That's not the point. Lairon is the one Machop trusted to give her advice, and so far, he hasn't given a single useful instruction."

Lairon's eyes and mouth were wide open as the jellyfish added, "Those pointers Machop got were from the crowd. When you think about it, that makes him rather useless. If anything, he should be up there in the bleachers, don't you think?"

"HEY, SHUT UP!" Machop retorted only for Lairon to sigh, "She's right. I'm supposed to be your adviser and so far, I've been no help to you. I was more than ready to help you out against a reckless opponent, but, well, Tentacruel is smart and skilled."

"Look, you only messed up a couple of times," Machop uttered only for the dinosaur to sigh, "Thanks for trying to cheer me up, but let's face it, I was never good enough to be your trainer. Think about it. I'm constantly busy, so I'm rarely available when you have a match. But also, I've only ever beaten opponents who weren't using their heads all the time. The first time I fought a real strategist after becoming one myself, I lost."

Machop shook her head as Garchomp uttered, "Honey-" only for the dinosaur to shake his head, sighing, "Darling, admit it, you're much more suited for being Machop's trainer than I am."

With that, Lairon turned his back to the ring and sat down, hugging his knees as the crowd stared. Some members felt sorry for him as Rinko groaned, "Oh no, this isn't good at all!" Isamu uttering, "Should we have kept our mouths shut?"

Machop bit her lower lip before putting on a more serious look and stating, "Look, Lairon, I don't think you should give up just because you made a couple of mistakes, but it looks like you need to clear your head! Until then, I'll do my best to fight Tentacruel without advice from anyone!"

Her friends stared, not sure whether or not they could agree with such a decision. It was one thing not to take advice from Lairon for a while, but to take no advice from anyone else after Garchomp and Isamu had both saved her from an easy loss felt extreme.

Even so, Rinko folded her arms and said, "This might not be such a bad idea," the others turning as Meloetta asked, "What do you mean?"

"Mother was in a similar spot once," the brunette explained, "It happened in the second round for the Next Gen Battle and again in the Hero Olympics. Most of the time, she would take advice from Grandma Scizor. However, when she fought Talonflame, she was tricked into no longer following her advice and as a result, she lost."

She remembered exactly how Scyther described it, how an orange falcon by the name of Talonflame convinced her that Scizor had always seen her as a tool. This created a rift between the two and thus Scyther could no longer trust her mother to give her advice. And by the time she learned the truth, it was too late as she wound up falling victim to a move called Flare Blitz in which Talonflame lit himself on fire and performed a U-turn, slamming her skull hard against the canvas and dislocating an arm and a leg in the process.

The second time was in the Hero Olympics when the green insect faced Ninetales. All was going well until the kitsune convinced her that taking advice from Scizor was hindering her, making her weak. But while she lost, Scizor was the first to realize that Ninetales was right.

"You see, if Mother had become independent, she would have learned how to avoid Ninetales' tactics on her own without the need for Grandma Scizor's advice," Rinko explained, "And you saw Machop's match against Sneasel. She had no choice but to think for herself and as a result, she came up with countermeasures, really good ones all on her own. If anything, the fact that she's counting on others to give her advice right now is preventing her from thinking for herself."

Garchomp nodded and said, "You may have a point," as Isamu gulped and uttered, "I hope you're right."

But just as the conversation came to a close, Machop's back was still turned to Tentacruel as the jellyfish raced toward her, binding her in place with her tentacles and saying, "Here's a tip from me. Never turn your back to a villain," before leaping high above the ring and tucking her body in.

The crowd stared in horror, knowing exactly what was coming as Machop was positioned below Tentacruel, her belly facing the mat. Isamu and Eiko both stared in horror as Vigoroth gritted her teeth, Venipede shouting, "HEY, YOU PRACTICED THIS! TRY TO REMEMBER!"

However, Machop had chosen not to follow anyone's advice, and thus she did not hear his words as Tentacruel planted her beak-like protrusions into her back. With that, the two fell toward the mat as the jellyfish exclaimed, "TUSK BUSTER!"

She slammed Machop hard against the mat as she coughed up blood, her eyes rolling to the back of her head as said part fell forward, her face hitting the canvas. All went silent as Yuki said, "And Machop falls victim to the same move that defeated Venipede and Meloetta. Can she recover from this or is this the shortest match we've had all week?"

Lairon's eyes widened, but before he could get up and turn around, Machop coughed up blood and slowly pushed herself back to her feet, breathing heavily and turning to face Tentacruel. The jellyfish narrowed her eyelids and readied herself for more. Could Machop really get the drop on her again without taking advice?


	24. Chapter 24

While Machop had taken in Tentacruel's most powerful move, at least she had used it early in the match. As such, the girl was still able to stand as the jellyfish looked ready for more.

"Machop may have recovered, but now that she's no longer taking advice, can this even make a difference?" Nori asked as Eiko exclaimed, "Damn right it will! Tentacruel just took advantage of her, that's all!"

"Exactly," Machop remarked, "I just dropped my guard. That was my bad, but I won't let it happen again!" Tentacruel smirking and saying, "You seem confident. Show me what you can do by yourself."

Machop nodded and once again got on the defensive. Tentacruel grinned and advanced toward her with her tentacles out, Eiko asking, "Is she stupid or something? Machop already knows how to get around that."

And just as the girl leapt into the air like last time, the jellyfish joined her and asked, "Did you honestly think I was stupid enough to fall for the same trick twice?"

Machop's eyes widened as the jellyfish wrapped her tentacles around her, flipping her upside-down and driving her skull into the canvas. It did not end there as after Machop collapsed, the jellyfish leapt above her and sent rapid kicks into her back, shouting, "JELLYFISH BOMBARDMENT!"

The girl cried out in pain as the crowd stared in horror, Nori saying, "And Machop takes in a serious beating as she is unable to respond to Tentacruel's mighty kicks," Yuki adding, "Even if she was taking advice, I don't think anyone could come up with a way around this."

However, Garchomp and Isamu both knew something she could do, but just as they were about to suggest it, Eiko gasped and said, "Hold on, Machop doesn't want advice, remember?"

But while Garchomp seemed to reluctantly accept this, Isamu could not as he gritted his teeth and snapped, "HEY, MACHOP, USE THE SAME METHOD YOU USED WHEN SNEASEL HAD YOU IN THIS SAME SPOT!"

The girl's eyes widened as she gritted her teeth, focusing hard as the muscles in her back expanded. And this seemed to work as when the next tentacle hit that spot, Tentacruel lost her balance and fell on her rear end. And it only got better when Machop rose to her feet and leapt toward her, sending her elbow into her chest.

The crowd went wild as Yuki exclaimed, "And just as all seemed lost, Machop used that famous Mach family defensive manoeuvre to catch Tentacruel off-guard!"

But just as the girl was about to dish out more, Tentacruel snickered and rose to her feet, saying, "There you go again, taking advice from the audience instead of coming up with your own methods. What happened? When you fought Sneasel, you were able to figure this out for yourself."

Machop's eyes widened as she clutched onto the sides of her head, groaning, "Dammit! I don't know!" while thinking, 'She's right. When I fought Sneasel, I was able to come up with all kinds of tactics on my own, and yet with everyone else giving me advice, it's like I can't come up with anything!'

Seeing as Machop was once again distracted, Tentacruel took full advantage of this and dashed behind her, wrapping four of her tentacles around her neck. She then latched four of her leg tentacles onto the girl's legs and leaned backward, forcing her into an arch.

She used her remaining eight tentacles to hold herself upright and shouted, "JELLYFISH BRIDGE!" the crowd wincing as they could hear the girl's back start to break.

Isamu's eyes widened with shock as he uttered, "Oh god, this is terrible. I want to give her advice, but if we keep doing it, she'll lose her self-esteem!" Garchomp gritting her teeth and growling, "Damn that Tentacruel! I wish that was me in the ring! I'd make her pay for this!"

Machop slowly turned to her friends and then Lairon as he turned his gaze toward this. His eyes widened but soon became neutral as he turned away from the ring again. However, Garchomp had noticed just from the look in his eyes that he knew exactly how Machop could escape from this hold.

With that in mind, she rose to her feet spat, "HEY, LAIRON!" the dinosaur staring as she added, "You're Machop's trainer! Give her advice! I know you have some!"

"But what's the point!?" Lairon retorted, "It's probably wrong, anyway!" as the dragon snapped, "None of us have any ideas, and even if we did, Machop doesn't want to listen to us! You're the only one who can help her right now!"

Lairon turned and noticed a look of desperation in Machop's eyes. There was no doubt about it. She needed help more and ever right now and the dinosaur was going to give it whether she liked it or not.

"Machop, there is an easy way out of this hold!" he grunted with a serious look in his eyes, "Wiggle your legs and pull back!"

Machop realized she had no other options and thus she did as told. And after ten seconds, she managed to pry her legs out of Tentacruel's hold as her eyes went wide, the girl sending her feet hard into her gut. This caused the jellyfish to release her hold on her neck thus allowing Machop to leap away from her, breathing heavily while the crowd went wild.

Tentacruel slowly rose to her feet and smirked, saying, "Well, now you finally get some decent advice from him, but come on, surely you could have figured that out on your own."

"Admittedly, I probably could have," Machop replied, "but if he hadn't spoken up, it would have taken longer, so much so that it might have even been too late."

The others stared in confusion as she sighed, "I admit that at least against you, I do need some advice. Sneasel and Lilligant may have been tough, but when push came to shove, they let their emotions get the better of them. You, on the other hand, seem more in control of what you're doing plus you have multiple arms and legs, so it's difficult to come up with an ideal strategy to bypass your abilities. Someday, I may be good enough to stand up to villains like you on my own, but as I am now, I still have a long way to go."

The girl then grinned at Lairon who smiled and gave her a thumb up. The rest of the crowd was truly amazed as Venipede turned to Rinko and said, "From what you've told me, it was a long time before Scyther needed to start thinking for herself."

"Yeah, you're right," the brunette replied with a light smile, "I guess it was wrong to think that Machop could just rush development like that."

However, Tentacruel could not believe what she had just heard as she scoffed, "So you admit that you were never prepared to face me!" Machop nodding and replying, "Yeah, maybe I wasn't. So what? I'm not exactly a veteran yet. I still have a long way to go."

Many people in the crowd who led successful lives remembered starting small themselves. They, too, often needed help from others to get anywhere. Even Rinko and Venipede, while not relying on advice from others, worked together to overcome their weaknesses when outside of the ring.

Isamu had a light smile as he breathed a sigh of relief, saying, "At least it didn't take her too long to realize that," Eiko saying, "I guess even the greatest heroes need help sometimes."

"But wait, he didn't even help you the first two times!" Tentacruel retorted as Lairon sighed, "Well, it's true that I was unprepared for those first two moves you used, but you know what? I guess even someone like me needs outside help every now and then."

Meloetta had a big smile on her face, her eyes sparkling as she squealed, "So this is true friendship. Even when you have arguments, you're able to resolve them in the end."

Tentacruel gritted her teeth and retorted, "THAT'S STUPID!" before launching herself toward Machop with her head out. Since no one had time to react to this, the girl took the blow to her face and fell on her back.

Tentacruel then proceeded to leap at her, sending rapid kicks into her gut and barking, "JELLYFISH BOMBARDMENT!" Machop coughing up blood as some kicks were directed at her face.

Lairon gritted his teeth and tried to think of a way around this as Venipede gasped, "Machop, she's not using as much speed as usual! Take advantage of that!"

The girl nodded and lifted up her arms, taking hold of two of the jellyfish's tentacles. She then ignored the pain added by the other kicks and threw her arms back, sending Tentacruel flying head-first into the turnbuckle.

The crowd cheered wildly as Machop gave Venipede a warm smile and said, "Thanks buddy," holding a thumb up while Tentacruel shook the pain off of her head and fumed, charging toward her.

"YOU CAN'T COME UP WITH ANYTHING ON YOUR OWN!" the jellyfish growled only for Machop to dodge to the right. But just as Tentacruel was about to move in that direction and catch the girl off-guard, she saw this coming and wrapped her arms around the four tentacles on that side.

"Well, I didn't think of this right away, but I did learn from your earlier attempts," Machop replied with a smirk as Tentacruel's eyes widened, Machop swinging her so she wound up hitting the turnbuckle a second time.

The crowd went wild as Yuki exclaimed, "Things were looking bad, but Machop makes an impressive comeback with two counters!" Tentacruel gritting her teeth, just about to fight back only for the girl to reach around and grab hold of two tentacles again. And like the last time she did this, she proceeded to lift the jellyfish up and lean backward, planting her skull into the canvas.

The crowd cheered even louder as Isamu nodded and said, "There's that miracle I expect from you," Garchomp shouting, "Way to go!"

Lairon folded his arms and nodded in approval, thinking, 'That's right, she learned from her mistakes before. She realized that Tentacruel had already figured out a way around her first counter, so she came up with a new one.'

Machop would have taken full advantage of Tentacruel's current state, but she could tell it was still too soon. The jellyfish had not taken in enough damage and she had multiple tentacles to fight her off. Thus the girl kept her distance and allowed the jellyfish to rise to her feet.

She was now truly furious as she gritted her teeth, thinking, 'Dammit, my plan completely failed! Lairon's strategies were good, but I saw through them right away and used that to my advantage! I thought if I destroyed his self-esteem, Machop couldn't possibly stand up to me, but now their connection is even stronger!'

With that in mind, the jellyfish leapt toward Machop with her foot tentacles out only for the girl to dodge to the right. However, Tentacruel had flown into a turnbuckle as she used it to fling herself toward Machop. Luckily, the girl saw this coming as she leaned sideways, the jellyfish flying over her as she lifted her leg up just in time to send a kick into her side.

The crowd continued to cheer as Machop used this opportunity to take hold of two tentacles, throwing her arms sideways thus slamming the side of Tentacruel's head into the mat. Yuki grinned and exclaiming, "Machop is on fire as she continues to dish out one impressive counter after another!"

"Excellent work," Lairon said as he gave Machop a thumb up, Tentacruel once again pushing herself up and breathing heavily, a look of fury in her eyes.

"You've had your little moment in the spotlight, but I'm still the superior fighter!" Tentacruel growled as she raced toward Machop.

Just as the girl was about to fight back, the jellyfish leapt over her head and flipped herself upside-down, wrapping her tentacles around her. Before Machop could respond, Tentacruel flipped her one-hundred-and-eighty degrees, planting her skull into the mat. But rather than allowing the girl to collapse, the jellyfish took full advantage of this, keeping her grip on her and leaping high into the air.

The crowd stared as Vigoroth growled, "I think I know what's coming," Meloetta trembling and whimpering, "No, she was so close."

And just as predicted, Tentacruel tucked in her upper body and bound Machop in place with all fourteen tentacles. She then planted her beak-like appendages into her back, shouting, "Let's see you counter this when you can't even move!"

Lairon stared in shock as he still had no clue how to get out of this. Even the others were uncertain. Machop had worked hard and taken in all sorts of punishment to prepare herself for this and yet she was still not ready.

"Come on, there's gotta be something she can do!" Isamu spat, "Hey, Lairon, you know how to get out of this, right?" Garchomp sighing, "Of all the moves in Tentacruel's arsenal, this one is just too perfect. There exist moves that can't be avoided no matter what, and this might very well be one of them."

However, Machop suddenly realized something she could do. It was a stretch and she had even used it earlier for a different purpose, but right now, she saw no other options.

With that in mind, the girl gritted her teeth as Tentacruel descended toward the canvas, shouting, "TUSK BUSTER!"

Machop concentrated the hardest she ever had when suddenly, her muscles expanded, Tentacruel's eyes widening as her tentacles loosened. And with that, Machop finally had her chance as she shifted her body sideways, prying her back out of the appendages. While this did leave two holes on her back, it was a small price to pay as she used two of Tentacruel's tentacles to pull herself behind her.

Machoke and Gardevoir both embraced one-another upon seeing this as the man exclaimed, "My daughter's mastered muscle expansion! I'm so proud!"

"NO!" Tentacruel cried as Machop flipped her upside-down. She then held onto the jellyfish's head while her own legs drifted behind her, rising slightly above her own head.

The crowd went wild as Garchomp thought, 'She's using that ability?' Machop slamming Tentacruel's skull hard against the canvas and shouting, "METEOR BOMB!"

Gardevoir gasped upon seeing this as she squealed, "She finally figured out how to use it!" Machoke nodding and saying, "Yeah, and it's just as amazing as when you used to use it."

Tentacruel's lower body was no longer tucked in as she coughed up blood, Machop releasing her hold and allowing her to collapse. All went silent as it seemed Tentacruel was no longer moving, her body twitching as Lairon grinned, thinking, 'That's the benefit of having two heroes as parents. You can learn both of their greatest abilities.'

"And Machop has just used another old family technique, though this one comes from Gardevoir's side!" Nori exclaimed, "Meteor Bomb was the very first slam technique that she ever used and it still seems to pack a serious punch!"

Everyone stared for half a minute, Meloetta cupping her hands together and praying for this to be it. The others wished for the same thing, Eiko squealing, "That was so cool!" Isamu nodding and saying, "She's just full of surprises, that Machop."

And sure enough, Tentacruel was not getting up any time soon as Yuki rang the bell and exclaimed, "And after a long and very intense match, we finally have a winner! Give it up for Machop!" the crowd going wild as her friends gave her a standing ovation.

Machop's eyes sparkled as she let down light tears, thinking, 'I did it,' before turning to Lairon as her mind added, 'Thank you for not giving up,' the dinosaur giving her a thumb up.

"Finally, that bitch is put in her place!" Vigoroth exclaimed with a grin as Meloetta sighed, "I'm just glad it's finally over."

"That's what I'm talking about!" Rinko shouted as Venipede nodded with his eyes implying a big smile.

Eiko and Isamu gave each other a hug while Garchomp folded her arms and breathed a sigh of relief, Torchic clapping her feet and shouting, "You the woman, Machop!"

Meloetta uttered, "You meant to say 'you're', right?" Vigoroth rolling her eyes and sighing, "First thing I'll teach you is modern slang."

But just as soon as the celebration started up, it ended when Machop winced, her eyes closing as she uttered, "This is great and all, but right now, I could use a nap," before falling on her back, Lairon immediately climbing into the ring.

"It would seem that after all that work, Machop needs medical attention, stat!" Yuki exclaimed as medics raced in, loading the girl up onto a stretcher.

A few authorities came in as well, latching multiple handcuffs onto Tentacruel's tentacles and dragging her toward a ship that would take her to Hero Planet's prison. Despite Machop having used up all of her energy, it seemed that things had ultimately turned out for the best.

The following day, Machop awoke to see all but Lairon standing before her as the dinosaur was at work right now. Torchic breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Thank god. She's okay."

Meloetta had a big, cute smile on her face as Machop groaned, slowly sitting up and uttering, "What happened?" as Isamu sighed, "You fell asleep after your match," Eiko nodding and adding, "You must have been really tired after all that fighting."

"I guess I was," Machop replied with a light chuckle, "Though it's weird. I definitely bled a lot more during my match with Sneasel and yet Tentacruel took so much out of me."

"That's because of the ability you used," Garchomp explained as the others turned to face her, "See, that muscle expansion of yours is a great defensive manoeuvre that's done your family a lot of good in the past, but using it to its fullest takes a great deal of energy. If that move you used hadn't been enough to finish Tentacruel, you probably would have lost."

"So that was a pretty big risk she was taking," Rinko uttered as Venipede trembled at the thought of Machop defeating herself.

"Well, the important thing is I won," Machop sighed with a big smile, "I have to admit, Voltorb may have beaten me, but I don't think he was anywhere near as tough as the three villains I faced this week."

The girl then grinned at Meloetta and said, "And on another bright note, we got us a new friend," the green-haired girl's cheeks turning pink as the others gave her a sweet smile. Light tears rolled down her cheeks as she sniffed, "I know I said this already, but thank you all so much for giving me another chance."

Vigoroth nodded and rested a hand on her shoulder, saying, "Don't you worry. We've already seen proof that you're worth having around."

At that moment, Torchic took a good look at the sloth who shrugged and said, "And to answer your question, yeah, I've decided to stay and help you guys out. Besides, Meloetta needs to learn a few things, and I'm the one who's gonna teach her."

The green-haired girl's eyes sparkled as it seemed things had truly turned out for the best. But one could only guess what the future would bring. Was this the worst Tokyo would deal with or were Tentacruel and her allies a small threat compared to what the heroes would face in the future?


	25. Chapter 25

With Tentacruel and her allies finally taken care of, the heroes of Tokyo were glad to have another break from fighting evil. As satisfying as saving Tokyo was, they still hoped that they would get more time to enjoy themselves before another villain decided to attack.

Currently, everyone was out for a day on the town to show Meloetta just how much things had changed. Sure, Tentacruel had shown her quite a number of new inventions, but she had also given the green-haired girl false information regarding how a lot of them worked and why they were made. She was especially happy to discover the real reason why headphones were made, glad that people did not use them as weapons like she did hers.

After a bit more sight-seeing, Meloetta was brought to the one place Machop and her friends wanted her to check out most of all, the club. Needless to say, the owner was more than happy to see them, especially Machop who he was surprised to see up and about as soon as she was.

The group sat on the couch as Vigoroth looked around and asked, "So this is the place you guys hang out at during your free time?" Meloetta smiling and saying, "I think it looks nice."

Isamu nodded as the sloth shrugged her shoulders, saying, "Honestly, I expected more than just a few pool tables and a bar," Rinko shrugging and replying, "Well, there's also a karaoke machine," pointing at it.

Meloetta blinked and asked, "You mean it makes carrots?" Vigoroth sighing, "Karaoke, not carrot. It's a machine that plays music from already existing songs and you have to sing along with the words."

Meloetta's eyes sparkled as she asked, "Can I try it?" Machop shrugging and replying, "Of course. As long as no one else is using it, you can pretty much go up there and give it a whirl anytime," Meloetta about to question that when Vigoroth sighed, "She means you can use it."

"Right, she's been in a cave for hundreds of years," Torchic said, "For some reason, I keep forgetting that," Venipede suggesting, "Maybe it's the headpiece. If she wasn't born with it, I'd swear she bought that in recent years."

Meloetta got up on stage and looked over the songs, noticing one titled 'I Look Up As I Walk'. The title sounded pleasant to her, so she decided to give that a go as a lovely melody played, the girl singing along with the lyrics that appeared on the screen in front of her.

All of the guests stopped what they were doing and turned to look at her. Hers was one of the most beautiful singing voices anyone had ever heard. The tone and pitch were perfect as Machop grinned, saying, "I should totally introduce her to Mama. They'd probably sing the nicest duet ever."

"Oh yeah, I forgot you're mom's a famous singer in France," Venipede replied as soon enough, Meloetta finished the song as everyone applauded her.

The green-haired girl blushed bright as Vigoroth grinned and said, "Well, your voice is actually really pretty when it's not used as a weapon."

"Really?" Meloetta asked as the owner nodded and said, "I can honestly say you're the best singer we've ever had here."

Eiko clapped and squealed, "I wish I could sing like that!" Isamu sighing, "Me too," patting her on the shoulder as she folded her arms and retorted, "What's that supposed to mean!?"

At that moment, the owner brought the group their beverages, saying, "Drinks on the house for my new favourite regulars," handing them out as Machop said, "Thank you," taking her fruit punch as Meloetta asked, "We're not sitting on top of a house."

"When you get something in an establishment like this on the house, it means you don't have to pay for it," Vigoroth replied, "In other words, it's free, and I'm pretty sure that had the same definition I'm referring to back in your time."

"Yeah, I know all the meanings of 'free'," Meloetta replied as Rinko and Vigoroth were the only ones with an alcoholic drink, Rinko with her usual beer and Vigoroth having a cocktail.

Meloetta blinked and asked, "Can I try a bit of that?" Vigoroth nodding and saying, "Careful. Alcohol can be pretty strong."

Meloetta took a light sip and smiled, saying, "Actually, that's pretty good," taking a sip of her own drink and saying, "I'm not sure which one I like better."

"Huh, Meloetta likes alcohol," Isamu said with a shrug, "I never would have imagined someone that innocent liking the taste," Machop sticking out her tongue and groaning, "I can't stand it. I can see why Mama and Daddy never got into it."

Rinko shrugged and replied, "Your loss," chugging hers down as Venipede chuckled and said, "I'm not allowed to have alcohol, myself. If my mom ever caught me drinking it, I'd never hear the end of it."

Rinko smirked and nudged him, holding her bottle in front of him and saying, "You know, she's not here to see you do it," the centipede retorting, "I can't betray her trust! I mean, well-" the brunette adding, "Come on, just one sip. Beer's not as strong as most alcoholic drinks."

"Well, okay," Venipede replied, "But only a tiny bit," Rinko nodding and pouring a little bit into the lid, Venipede gulping it down as he shrugged and said, "Not bad. It's kinda like ginger ale but without the sugar."

Machop rose an eyebrow and said, "So it's like sparkling water? I don't really care for that either," Venipede replying, "It's not quite like that either. It's hard to describe, but I kinda wanna try more."

Rinko smirked and said, "I had a feeling you'd like it," Meloetta giggling and saying, "You two make for a really cute couple."

Both stared as their cheeks turned bright pink, Rinko laughing nervously and uttering, "Um, we're not..." Venipede cutting in and saying, "We're just really close friends."

Machop, Isamu and Eiko lowered their eyelids and looked at one-another. Even Vigoroth was trying her best not to respond to this.

Meloetta, on the other hand, seemed to believe their words as she nodded and said, "Oh, okay," as the next couple of hours went by smoothly. Even Vigoroth had started to warm up to the club and felt that coming to it had, indeed, been worth it.

And with that, the group was ready to head their separate ways as Meloetta smiled and said, "See you tomorrow," Torchic asking, "Hey, if you don't mind me asking, where are you headed?"

The green-haired girl blinked as Isamu said, "That's a good question. You don't have money, right? So I'm kinda wondering where you're living if you can't afford a house."

"Well, when I was working with Tentacruel, I shared a cave with her and her friends," Meloetta replied, "It's not much, but it's somewhere I can stay until I get a job or something, which is actually possible now," a sweet smile forming.

"Oh no," Machop remarked with a stern look, "Meloetta, you will not subject yourself to living in a cave," Meloetta asking, "Then where will I live?"

Torchic grinned and said, "I think I know what you have in mind," Machop nodding and saying, "You've spent hundreds of years waiting for this, so you're gonna have a nice place to live. Come with me. I'll show you your new home."

The green-haired girl had the biggest smile on her face as she walked next to Machop, Eiko saying, "Wow, she's so generous," Isamu nodding and adding, "I was about to make a similar offer."

Vigoroth nodded as Torchic turned to her and asked, "Say, where are you staying?" the sloth replying, "Oh, I found this nice little shack that's free of charge. It has a pretty weird paint job on it, but it's got an interior that suits me," the others knowing exactly which shack she was referring to.

And soon enough, Machop led Meloetta to Lairon's place as she blinked and said, "This looks like a really nice house," Machop nodding and saying, "Come inside."

With that, both girls entered as Garchomp grinned and said, "Welcome home, Machop," before bowing her head to Meloetta and adding, "And hello to you, too."

"Why are you here, Miss Garchomp?" Meloetta asked as the dragon replied, "Well, this is my home," Eri running into the room and panting happily, her tail wagging as Machop smiled and knelt down, petting her while saying, "It's nice to see you too."

Meloetta's eyes sparkled as she squealed, "I love doggies," before joining in and asking, "Wait, I thought you were going to show me my new home. Why are we at Garchomp's?"

"Well, this is where I'm staying," Machop replied before turning to the dragon in question and asking, "Say, can Meloetta live here too? She doesn't have anywhere nice to go."

The green-haired girl's eyes widened as she squeaked, "What!?" Garchomp nodding and saying, "Absolutely. I just know Lairon would be perfectly fine with this."

Meloetta stared silently as Machop grinned and said, "Surprise," the green-haired girl looking down and uttering, "Wow, that's a really nice gesture. I'm actually really happy you thought of this, but I don't know. I don't want to impose."

Garchomp chuckled and replied, "Trust me, you are more than welcome here. If anything, I'd be more upset if you didn't have somewhere to stay," Machop nodding and saying, "Same here."

Meloetta let down light tears as a big smile formed on her face, the green-haired girl giving Machop a hug and squealing, "Thank you so much!" as Machop smiled warmly and patted her on the back.

During this time, Venipede and Rinko were in the middle of training in the brunette's house, the two trading blows. However, just as Venipede was about to send a punch into Rinko's chest, his eyes widened as he stopped his attack, taking a hard punch to the cheek.

"Oh, sorry!" Rinko groaned as the centipede rubbed his cheek, saying, "Hey, we're training, right? We're supposed to hit each other," before laughing nervously, not wanting to bring up his actual reason for holding back. But why? It was not as if he meant anything perverse by aiming there.

Either way, Rinko shrugged and said, "Alright, as long as you're okay to continue," the two resuming sparring, though right now, the brunette was feeling a tad distracted too.

Vigoroth, meanwhile, entered her new home, and just as the others suspected, she had chosen the old Mach Family shack. She held her hands against her side and said, "Well, it's not much, but this is just fine by me."

She then opened up a treasure chest with a set of weights in it, saying, "I don't know who left these here, but I'm glad they did," the sloth immediately lifting them while thinking, 'Look at this, I'm actually independent and not living in my dad's bungalow. Never thought I'd see the day.'

During this time, Machop showed Meloetta to her room and said, "Since this is the only guest room, Garchomp and Lairon have decided we may as well share it," before patting the bed and adding, "As you can see, there's enough room for both of us."

Meloetta nodded with a light smile and replied, "That's great. It'll be like having a sister. I always wanted one of those," Machop grinning and thinking, 'Yeah, it is like I have a second family, isn't it?'

Lairon had returned home not too long ago as he had heard everything that had happened, the dinosaur nodding and saying, "Well, I wish you'd called me first, but you're right. I'm more than happy with her living here."

Garchomp nodded and said, "You know, maybe we should check up on Aron, see how he's doing," Lairon remarking, "But you know what he's like. He hates it when he worry and pester him. If anything, he's probably glad we haven't called him yet."

"Well, at the very least, I'm gonna send him an email," Garchomp replied as the dinosaur shrugged and replied, "That I'm sure he'll like," the dragon pulling out a laptop computer and turning it on.

After another hour, Garchomp had prepared a nice dinner. Lairon entered the kitchen once she was done and said, "Smells good in here, honey," as the dragon nodded and said, "I want Meloetta's first day here to be truly memorable."

With that, Garchomp walked toward the staircase and called out, "Machop, Meloetta, dinner's ready!"

Machop grinned and squealed, "Sweet! Come on, Meloetta! You're gonna love this!" the green-haired girl nodding and following Machop out of the room and down the stairs.

When she saw what was being served, her eyes sparkled in amazement. She had never seen anything like this. Garchomp had prepared a seaweed salad, Japanese meatballs and soba noodles with grilled tofu.

Lairon grinned and said, "If you think this is great, wait'll you actually try it. Your taste buds will explode," Meloetta blinking and uttering, "Is that an expression?" Machop nodding.

Garchomp proceeded to serve them up, placing a plate in front of Meloetta and saying, "Enjoy," the green-haired girl's eyes widening.

She remembered a time when she still had a mother, a beautiful woman who looked almost exactly like her with a few key differences. Not only was her hair orange as opposed to green, but it was wrapped up like a turban with her headpiece attached to its tip. Her eyes, jewel and belt formation were also orange and the bottom of her dress-like torso was spread out like a tutu.

Meloetta remembered how she used to make her dinner everyday, using what few resources she had to make it good. And every time, she had the warmest smile on her face as she set a plate in front of the green-haired girl, saying, "Enjoy."

Tears welled up in Meloetta's eyes as she sniffed, Garchomp and Lairon staring with concern as the dragon asked, "Is something wrong?"

"No," Meloetta replied with a big smile, "I'm just so happy!" as Machop chuckled and said, "Somehow I knew that would be the case."

When Meloetta tried some of the seaweed salad, her eyes lit up as she said, "This is the best thing I've ever tasted," Machop saying, "Try the rest."

The green-haired girl did just that as she said, "I stand corrected. The noodle dish is better," a big smile on her face as Garchomp chuckled, saying, "Well, I'm glad you like it because you're gonna eat like this for a long time."

Meloetta tried her best not to tear up again as she continued to enjoy her meal. And afterwards, she figured the least she could do was help clean up. Garchomp insisted that she could handle it on her own but the green-haired girl felt as if she owed the dragon for taking her in without question.

Shortly after dinner, Machop decided that Meloetta should have a shower. After all, she had not truly cleaned herself in years due to her being unable to and thus she showed her to the bathroom.

Meloetta stared at the shower as Machop said, "This is what we use to clean ourselves quickly. It's called a shower," the green-haired girl nodding and asking, "How does it work?"

Machop turned the knob as water came out, Meloetta gasping and squealing, "It's just like a waterfall! That's what I always used to clean myself!" Machop nodding and saying, "It's similar, but with a shower, you can actually choose the temperature."

She then led the green-haired girl through the various different settings, explaining how the colour blue meant cold and how red meant hot. When Meloetta got a good understanding of that, Machop added, "And before you enter, it's a good idea to feel the water with your hand to see if it's at the temperature you want, though wait a few seconds before passing judgement. It doesn't heat up right away."

Meloetta nodded as Machop exited the bathroom and said, "I'll leave you to your shower. In this day and age, it's recommended that we shower in privacy, even though our kind has little to hide."

"I see," Meloetta replied as Machop exited the bathroom, the green-haired girl working the shower with ease. Among all of the modern creations she had come across, this was one of the easier ones to figure out.

Just as she had gotten the temperature she wanted, Machop asked, "Hey, are you alright in there?" the green-haired girl replying, "Yeah, I'm good. Thanks for asking."

Even something as simple as having someone ask her a question like that made Meloetta feel so happy. While having friends was new to her, having a family was something she had missed dearly.

In fact, all of this great treatment reminded her of arguably the saddest day of her life, the day she had been sealed. She and her mother lived in a small cottage located away from Tokyo as the orange-haired woman did not wish to endanger her daughter by entering it.

Recently, she had caught a deadly disease but had hidden this fact from Meloetta as she did not wish to worry her. However, today the disease had reached a critical stage and if the woman did not receive treatment soon, she would surely die. Thus, despite her mother's warnings, Meloetta raced into Tokyo to ask for help.

But when she arrived, it was just as bad as what she had told Tentacruel. She was immediately pegged as a monster and driven out of town. And to make matters worse, the people chased her into the depths Nippara Limestone Cave where a wizard cast a sealing spell on her, trapping her within the stone.

All Meloetta could assume in present time was that her mother never got the treatment she needed and died from her disease. The only upside to all of this was that at least she did not have to see her daughter have the spell cast on her.

Looking back to that day brought tears to Meloetta's eyes, and needless to say, these were not tears of joy like the others that had formed earlier. But after two minutes, she wiped her eyes and sniffed, looking up and thinking, 'Well, Mom, I finally have the good life you always wanted for me. I just know you're probably smiling up there and want me to do the same.'

With all said and done, night time soon rolled around as Meloetta crawled under the covers next to Machop, smiling and saying, "Wow, I've never slept in an actual bed before."

Machop grinned and replied, "Get used to it. This is your life from now on," Meloetta nodding and saying, "Again, thank you so much."

With that, Machop turned off the light as both girls wished each other a goodnight. And soon enough, they were sound asleep, Meloetta feeling not just comfortable but happy. Now she was actually glad to have been sealed for all those years, otherwise she never would have been able to experience a world where her kind was accepted by society.


	26. Chapter 26

A little less than two weeks had passed since the defeat of Tentacruel and her allies. This meant it had been a whole month since the heroes were sent to Earth. And while, Beedrill was certainly happy that no villain had succeeded in taking over any of these areas, he still felt the need to implement a rule his father, Weedle, had made long ago.

Each month, he would call up Hero Planet graduates to come to that very planet and enter the school's training facility to show how much they had grown as fighters. In order to do so, one student would face another at random and Beedrill would watch them fight and evaluate their efforts. Though to make sure the area would not be filled to the brim, he only had sixteen students come at a time, taking an hour-long break between each session.

Currently, Torchic was facing a light-blue elephant named Phanpy. He was tucked into a ball and rolling toward her like a boulder, shouting, "ROLLOUT!"

The chicken dodged to the right when he got close as Machop, who was seated on the sidelines along with the others, exclaimed, "Yeah, show him who's boss!"

The only two from Tokyo who were not present in the area were Meloetta and Vigoroth as neither had graduated from Hero Planet. Thus they did not need to undergo this procedure.

After dodging a few hits, Torchic cried out in pain as the elephant rammed into the back of her legs, causing her to fly into the air briefly before falling on her back. Phanpy then retracted back to a normal state and leapt onto the turnbuckle, spreading his arms out and leaping off of it, descending toward Torchic.

However, the chicken regained consciousness and smirked, raising her legs up and planting her talons into Phanpy's gut. The elephant coughed up a bit of blood and flew into the air as Torchic leapt up to his level, latching her legs around him and flipping him so his head was facing the mat. She then covered her body in flame to speed up the descent, shouting, "ASTEROID FRANKENSTEINER!"

This was more than enough to knock Phanpy unconscious as Torchic smirked and thought, 'Mother used a similar move on Onix, though she told me to only save it for when it's necessary as slam moves put a big strain on members of our family. Well, that seemed like an ideal moment.'

Beedrill rang the bell and exclaimed, "Excellent work, Torchic! If only Blaziken could have seen that," before turning to Machop and saying, "You're up."

The girl grinned and squealed, "Sweet!" as her opponent was a humanoid creature that resembled a sumo wrestler named Hariyama.

At first, Machop had quite a bit of trouble against him as his big hands were able to block all of her direct moves. Whenever she would try to grapple him, his hands would prevent her from reaching her arms far enough. She even tried grabbing his wrist with one hand while sending a punch toward his face with the other, but his reflexes were too good.

Currently, the girl was taking in an onslaught of palm punches as Hariyama exclaimed, "ARM THRUST!" Machop's face starting to swell up as Venipede spat, "Hey, come on, Machop! You've taken far worse than this!"

And after taking in twenty hits, Machop saw something she could do as she sent her foot forward, kicking Hariyama in the shin. His eyes widened as this caused just enough of a distraction to end his assault, Machop leaping forward with her arm out and hooking his neck. This caused the sumo to fall on his back as the girl shouted, "MOON HOOK!"

Hariyama was down for exactly ten seconds as Beedrill rang the bell and exclaimed, "Excellent!" a big implied smile on his face as he said, "You've done the Mach family proud, Machop," the girl smiling and replying, "Thanks."

After two more matches, Rinko was pit up against a light-brown hippo named Hippopotas. The fight actually went for quite a while with the brunette putting up a fairly good fight, though due to her opponent's size, her attacks did not deal as much damage as she would have liked.

Currently, she was on the receiving end of a series of palm punches as the hippo had created a rope with sand that he shot from his nostrils and hardened with tears. After enough hits, he lifted her up and planted her head against the canvas, releasing her from the sand and snickering.

"You know, my dad lost to your mom in the Hero Olympics," Hippopotas said with a grin, "I never thought I'd get to have revenge on her family, at least not this soon!"

However, just as it looked like he had won, Rinko slowly rose to her feet and breathed heavily, smirking and retorting, "Hate to burst your bubble, but you won't be getting that," as she charged at him with her arm at the ready and exclaimed, "ARM SCHWERT!" sending a hard karate chop into his gut.

Unfortunately, the hand bounced off as Hippopotas had barely taken in any pain from that, snickering and saying, "You know, I don't think a human can really pull that move off."

As much as it pained Rinko, the hippo had a point, and Beedrill saw it too. He remembered way back in the first round of the twenty-second Hero Olympics when after escaping from a sandy prison known as Sand Tomb, Scyther leapt at Hippopotas' father, a much bigger hippo named Hippowdon, and finished him off. She did so by forming blades on her arms and delivering an X-shaped slash to his chest. This was the infamous finisher her family was most well-known for, Arm Schwert, schwert being German for sword.

Since Rinko was human and not even related to Scyther by blood, she was unable to use the technique to its fullest. But even with that in mind, she refused to let Hippopotas win as she wrapped her arms around him, gritting her teeth and growling, "I won't lose!"

With that, she lifted him up and placed her on her shoulder, but she almost immediately regretted this decision. Hippopotas was the heaviest opponent she had faced so far and thus she really should not have attempted such a rash move.

Because of this, she was unable to jump as her body fell backward, Hippopotas' skull hitting the mat hard as he and Rinko both coughed up blood, passing out. Beedrill blinked and stared for the next twenty seconds, Machop and the others wondering how this would turn out.

With that, Beedrill rang the bell and exclaimed, "And it's a double knock-out, meaning this match is a tie!" Rinko's friends at least hoping she would recover.

And sure enough, both heroes managed to get up. After all, since these were fights among heroes, none of the fighters in the area wanted to hospitalize their opponents.

Even so, Rinko looked slightly disappointed as Venipede patted her on the shoulder and said, "Hey, you did a great job," the brunette smiling lightly and saying, "Danke."

Last up was Venipede who was up against a green dragon with blades on the side of her mouth named Fraxure. The match went on for a while with both fighters doing a relatively good job. But luckily, it seemed that Venipede might win as he took hold of Fraxure's wrist and hurled her toward the rope.

He then performed a vertical flip backward toward the ropes closest to him and bounced off, heading toward the dragon and shouting, "CENTIPEDE STEAMROLLER!" but as he landed the attack, Fraxure smirked and asked, "That's it?"

She then latched her arms around him as he retracted back to a normal state. The dragon then flipped him upside-down and planted his head hard against the mat for a tombstone piledriver. And unfortunately, this was just enough to knock him out for ten seconds as Beedrill rang the bell.

"And that concludes this set of matches," Beedrill stated, "You can all spend the rest of the day however you want. The next group will be here shortly."

Once Venipede was ready, the group headed toward the dock where a spaceship was ready to take them home. The centipede let out a sigh as Rinko said, "Hey, you came really close."

At that moment, Machop spotted a certain blue serpent having just finished an outdoor training exercise and beamed, walked over and tapping her on the back. The serpent turned as Machop said, "Hey there, Gyarados. I heard you joined Hero School, but I didn't fully believe it."

Gyarados chuckled and replied, "Well, you did have a positive influence on me. Beedrill says that because I have combat experience, I'm gonna take my final exam today as opposed to five more months from now, and that suits me just fine. I just wanna be assigned to an area so I can protect people and make up for my past."

"I just know you're gonna graduate for sure!" Machop exclaimed with a smirk, Torchic walking over and joining into the conversation.

While this went on, Venipede breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Good, they seem preoccupied," Rinko staring in confusion as he whispered, "Let's go somewhere more private."

Her cheeks turned bright pink as she followed him, but what exactly did she think he wanted to talk to her about? And why did it make her feel flustered?

However, it seemed the centipede had something else in mind as he sighed, "Be honest, am I really that good of a fighter?" Rinko blinking and remarking, "Why would you say that?"

"Come on, you've seen my performance," Venipede replied, "I haven't won a single match since graduation," Rinko sighing, "Hey, it'll happen someday. You've improved a lot. You're not scared when you enter the ring anymore."

"But what good is that if I can't use my greatest abilities to their fullest?" Venipede remarked, "Think about it. Centipede Steamroller is the best move I have and it failed. You saw that. Fraxure took in practically no pain from it. I mean, whenever my mom used the ability, energy buzz saws appeared on her shoulders. I don't get those. Not to mention her Venoshock involved her turning her antennae into acid, and I can't do that either."

Rinko bit her lower lip and sighed, "I know the feeling," Venipede blinking as she sighed, "You heard Hippopotas. Because I'm human, I can't use Mother's Arm Schwert the way she used it. Hers involved her sprouting blades from her arms. As you can see, I can't do that."

Venipede let out a sigh and said, "Yeah, but at least you have a reason. I have no excuse. I'm a member of the Szazlabu family. They've always been able to use these abilities to their fullest. I'm the only one who's never been able to pull it off, and, well, according to Mom, I should be able to."

Rinko nodded and smiled, asking, "What say when we get home, we get to work on our incomplete special moves?" the centipede blinking as she added, "I may never get so much as one blade to appear, but I'm sure if I practice the Arm Schwert enough, I can make it strong enough not to need one. And I'm sure if you try your absolute hardest, you can get those buzz saws and acid to appear. I just know it."

Venipede implied a light smile with his eyes and nodded, saying, "You know, you may be right. Thanks," Rinko replying, "Come on, we're partners. Partners look out for each other."

With that, Machop and Torchic had finished their conversation with Gyarados just in time for Venipede and Rinko to rejoin them. And thus all four were ready to head back to Earth.

During this time, Vigoroth and Meloetta had just finished watching a movie together as Meloetta's eyes sparkled, the green-haired girl squealing, "It's so amazing that people can do things like that! So, you're sure those explosions weren't real, right?"

"Positive," Vigoroth replied with a light chuckle before asking, "By the way, you said you were more than willing to fight evil if it ever showed up, right?"

Meloetta nodded and replied, "Yeah, I'll never fight my friends, but if anyone threatens Tokyo and its citizens again, I'll make an exception."

The sloth nodded and said, "That's a good mindset to have, but how exactly have you been preparing yourself for such an event?" the green-haired girl giving her a look of confusion as she sighed, "Well, remember when you fought Tentacruel? You were doing fine until she was able to see through your pattern."

"Oh yeah," Meloetta uttered as Vigoroth nodded and said, "Well, I think you may need to learn some new techniques. While your moves are impressive, they seem to be rather limited, like, once an opponent sees each one once, you become kind of predictable."

Meloetta's eyes widened as she squeaked, "I never thought of that!" as Vigoroth nodded and folded her arms, saying, "It's settled. I'm gonna teach you some new fighting techniques. That hair of yours can only get you so far."

Meloetta gave her a sweet smile and replied, "If you think it'll help," the two heading toward Vigoroth's shack.

During this time, Machop and the others were dropped off at their homes. Because of the matches taking place today, Lairon had decided to give the girl a break from training. Seeing as it also gave him some quality time with Garchomp, he was more than happy to have come up with this.

As such, Machop immediately called up Isamu. The boy was currently having lunch at school as he said, "Oh, hey, Machop. How'd your sparring match go?" the girl replying, "I kicked ass."

"Somehow, I knew you would," the boy replied with a grin, "Anyway, Eiko and I were thinking of going to see that movie that just came out, Legend of the Crystal Dragon. I was wondering if you'd like to come with," Machop's eyes sparkling as she squealed, "You'd better believe I'm in!"

"Great, I'll see you there," the boy replied as he said a quick goodbye and hung up. But while he ate his food, he failed to notice eight figures dressed in cloaks watching him from the window.

"So, that's the boy who Machop hangs out with?" one asked as another nodded and replied, "Yes. I think we found us a way to bring her and her friends out into the open."

Meanwhile, Meloetta was currently practising a variety of punches on a dummy. While she felt fairly confident in her abilities, Vigoroth shook her head and folded her arms, the green-haired girl giving her an odd look.

"Did I do it wrong?" she asked as the sloth replied, "No, in fact, you actually have very good form. But not only can I tell that punching that quickly is exhausting your energy really easily, but your punches are barely doing a thing."

"They are?" Meloetta squeaked as Vigoroth nodded and said, "Observe," sending a punch similar to the ones Meloetta had used on the dummy as a small indent formed where it hit.

The green-haired girl stared as Vigoroth pointed at a pair of ten pound weights, saying, "Try lifting those for a while. I get the feeling that if these new techniques are gonna work, you'll need some extra muscle."

"Oh, okay," Meloetta replied with a light smile as she walked over to the weights and knelt down, taking hold of them. However, when she tried to lift them, she barely managed to do so before breathing heavily and dropping them, Vigoroth rubbing her chin.

"Do you have anything lighter?" she asked as the sloth replied, "Unfortunately, I don't. But even for a weakling, ten pounds should be easy to lift, especially for someone like us," Meloetta looking down as the sloth sighed, "Don't lose faith, okay? Maybe we're going about this the wrong way."

"How so?" Meloetta asked as the sloth grinned and said, "I think I might know what's going on here. Something I've heard is that not all heroes are able to use every type of ability in the world. For example, some families, such as the famous Pig Monkeys, are only able to fight by punching and kicking. And it's a very similar case to the Torch family."

"Torch family?" Meloetta asked as Vigoroth said, "Yeah, Torch is Torchic's last name. I know. Creative, right?" the green-haired girl chuckling in response to this.

"Anyway, it's gone on record that members of her family have rarely ever used slam moves," Vigoroth explained, "It's because despite how tough they are, they were never meant to use such abilities. Combusken used a brainbuster once, and she ended up losing because of all the energy it took out of her. Meanwhile, Blaziken used a slam move of her own against the mighty Onix and while it did not cause her failure, it made victory a lot more difficult to achieve due to it taking a great deal of energy for her to pull off. She even attempted to lift up the snake a second time and, well, let's just say the results were not favourable."

"So no matter how strong she got, she was never able to use abilities like that without straining herself?" Meloetta asked as Vigoroth nodded and said, "I'm willing to bet it's probably the same for you. I get the feeling your arms were never meant to be strong, so I doubt that lifting weights will actually help you improve by much."

"So I can't learn to fight like you?" Meloetta whimpered as the sloth sighed, "Well, no, but that doesn't mean you should give up on trying to learn new techniques. It just means we need to find another fighting style that suits you."

The two tapped their chins as Meloetta asked, "Any ideas?" as Vigoroth shrugged and replied, "Nothing yet, but I'm sure we'll think of something later. Or heck, maybe Lairon will have something for you. You are living with him now, right?"

Meloetta nodded with a light smile and said, "Well, he has helped Machop out a lot. Maybe he can help me," a big smile on her face as Vigoroth grinned and replied, "Yeah. And if he doesn't have any answers, we'll just keep trying until we can find a way to make you less predictable."

All the while, Machop had called up the others to invite them to the movie. Venipede and Rinko had decided to spend the day practising their special moves, so they ultimately refused. And as it so happened, the film she was going to watch was the same one Vigoroth and Meloetta saw earlier that day, and the sloth knew that if she went again, she would have to pay a second time.

The only other hero who ultimately agreed was Torchic, and Machop was at least happy to have someone else join her and her human friends. And once seven o'clock rolled around, all four met up near the theatre as Isamu grinned and said, "Glad you could all make it."

"Ain't no way I'm missing this," Torchic replied, "I can't remember the last time I watched a movie."

Eiko beamed and said, "You're gonna love this one. It's gotten nothing but great reviews," Isamu sighing, "I've told you time and time again, sis, hype isn't everything."

But just as the group was about to enter, a figure dressed in a cloak leapt into the area and took hold of Isamu, another grabbing his sister. Machop and Torchic's eyes widened as the figures leapt away from them, the chicken growling, "Hey, what the hell!?"

"If you know what's good for you, you'll drop our friends right now!" Machop exclaimed as six more figures showed themselves, one exposing a sharp metal finger and saying, "If you want your friends to live, you'll accept a little challenge we've thought up for you."

"Wait, what?" Machop remarked as another explained, "You see, much like Tentacruel, we've set up four rings in various different locations around Tokyo. We want you and your friends to accept a challenge from us. If you can beat us, we'll let your human friends go, but if you fail, we'll either keep them or we'll kill them. We haven't decided on that yet."

Eiko was about to retort when the metal finger was positioned under her chin, Isamu growling, "Hey, leave my sister out of this!" as the one holding him retorted, "You're in no condition to threaten us."

"Oh, yes I am," Isamu retorted as he kicked his captor in the shin, forcing him to release his hold. But just as he was about to help Eiko, he took in a blow to the back of the head, fell forward and passed out.

Machop gritted her teeth with fury. She wanted to rush in there and help right now, but with Eiko's life on the line, Torchic could tell that she and the girl had little choice in the matter.

"We accept your challenge," Torchic stated as Machop bit her lower lip and nodded her head, sighing, "Yeah, what she said."

Eiko trembled and let down light tears as she and Isamu were carried off, one figure saying, "Come to Shinjuku Gyoen at eleven tomorrow for the first match, and bring all of your allies here in Tokyo. We wish to face them as well," Machop gritting her teeth as they fled from the area.

"Alright, we'll be there," the girl grunted as Torchic patted her on the shoulder with a talon, sighing, "Yeah, we'll show them what we're made of."

Deep down, both knew exactly what these villains wanted. They wanted control over Tokyo like all the others, and just like Tentacruel and her allies, they were using hostages as a way to bring the heroes out into the open.

Either way, Machop called up the others to tell them about this. And since this was a big deal, the local news team found out about it as well as an hour later, there were reports about the various matches about to take place. Needless to say, this was going to be tough, especially with the heroes of Tokyo once again outnumbered.


	27. Chapter 27

With Eiko and Isamu's freedom and possibly lives at stake, naturally Noboru and Hana had to take a day off from work to make sure they would be okay. Unfortunately, Lairon was not so lucky, but Machop assured him that she would be fine. Though taking care of eight matches in one day was certainly asking a lot, especially when there were only six heroes to take care of this threat.

As Machop and Meloetta got ready for bed, the green-haired girl whimpered, "I don't know if I'll be able to sleep. I was gonna have Lairon help me come up with some new abilities, and yet I already have to fight someone."

Machop let out a sigh and patted her on the shoulder, saying, "Yeah, they pretty much came out of nowhere, but don't you worry. We'll be there to support you every step of the way."

Meloetta gave her a sweet smile and nodded, saying, "Goodnight," Machop turning off the light as the green-haired girl drifted off to sleep. But while she was surprisingly content after what she had been told, Machop was the one now having trouble sleeping. Just the fact that she would have to wait more than ten hours for a chance to save her human friends was unsettling to say the least. At least with every other match, no particular individual's life was at stake.

Though the two losing the most sleep were, of course, Noboru and Hana. After all, their kids were the ones being used as hostages. No parent could possibly rest in a situation like this.

However, Noboru knew he and his wife would not want their kids to worry about them as the man sighed, "Well, I guess we may as well look on the bright side. They're in good hands," Hana nodding and replying, "Yeah, I'm sure Machop and her friends can save them."

"But still, to think they would specifically use our children for this purpose," the man growled, "It makes me sick! All of this just to take over Tokyo! What're they gonna do if they take control!?" Hana nodding and sighing, "Yeah, I just hope they're not being tortured right now."

"Me too," Noboru replied as the two shared a small kiss before finally drifting off to sleep. They had to have faith in the heroes of Tokyo. They were the only ones with the ability to save their kids.

Once eleven o'clock rolled around the following day, many were seated around a ring located in Shinjuku Gyoen. Noboru and Hana had front-row seats as the heroes stood before the ring, wondering just who would go first and what kind of opponent each would face.

Meloetta was still feeling nervous as Vigoroth patted her on the shoulder, saying, "Don't worry, it'll be okay," giving her a claw up as she nodded with a light smile.

Soon enough, the cloaked figures arrived as one particular one revealed tan arms under his cloak and folding them, saying, "Thank you all for coming! Today's the day the heroes of Tokyo finally meet their match!" the crowd booing them as Nori and Yuki took their seats, waiting to see what these villains had planned.

"As you probably heard on the news," the cloaked figure added, "we got us two lives on the line for these matches. We were thinking of just keeping them as slaves, but we figure it'll be more fun if we kill them," Noboru and Hana embracing one-another as the figure pointed upward.

Everyone looked in that direction and gasped at the sight of two cages hanging from a helicopter, one holding Eiko and the other holding Isamu as the boy gritted his teeth, growling, "I DON'T CARE WHAT YOU DO TO ME, BUT LEAVE MY SISTER OUT OF THIS!"

"How noble," another figure said with a smirk as a taller one added, "He's been quite feisty since he woke up. He actually challenged us to let him out of his cage so he could face us. If we weren't so amused, we might have actually done it."

The villains all shared a quick laugh as Machop gritted her teeth, growling, "Can we just start the first match already!?"

"Ah-ah-ah," one figure remarked, revealing a blue hand and waving his finger, "We haven't laid down the ground rules yet. Care to fill them in, boss?" the one with the tan arms nodding and saying, "Gladly."

He then grinned and said, "Instead of the traditional one-on-one bouts, we have decided to hold a series of tag team matches today," the audience now much more interested as Torchic asked, "So there's four matches instead of eight?"

"Yes, we figure that might make things faster, granted you all make it far enough," the tan figure, who seemed to be the leader, explained, "Each of us has already chosen a team, and we will decide who we wish to face. For all you know, you could be paired up with someone who wouldn't work well with you at all, but it hardly matters. After all, we are fully aware of the fact that none of you have ever fought in a team match before."

Venipede gulped as he uttered, "He's right," Rinko nodding and saying, "Well, our folks did at one point. I'm sure we can handle it."

Vigoroth nodded and said, "I'm fine with this. Reveal your first team and I'll wipe the floor with them."

"You heard the traitor," one cloaked figure said with a smirk, "She wants to go first," as the leader sighed, "Well, I did have someone else in mind, but alright, you already claimed her and she's eager. You may as well reveal yourself."

With that, the cloaked figure who had spoken up leapt into the ring and removed his cloak. His partner followed close behind as standing before the heroes were two dinosaurs.

The first was a grey pachycephalosaurus with a blue skull and back. Four spikes lined the back of his head and his hands and feet each had three claws.

The second to reveal himself was a yellow dinosaur with a single white toe on each foot and small white fingers on his hands. His face was also shaped like a small shield with a slit between his eyes.

"I've been looking forward to this!" the grey dinosaur exclaimed, "The name's Cranidos and I'm your worst nightmare!" the yellow dinosaur bowing his head and saying, "A pleasure to meet you. I am Shieldon."

Vigoroth smirked and cracked her knuckles, saying, "I don't care who you are. I'm gonna wipe the floor with you, me and-" the sloth blinking as she asked, "Who is my partner, anyway?"

"Oh, we got just the one in mind," Cranidos replied with a smirk as he pointed at Meloetta, the green-haired girl gasping as he added, "I figure if we're gonna fight one traitor, we may as well take down another."

Meloetta shook her head and pursed her lips, Vigoroth retorting, "You know, technically speaking, she never really devoted herself to the side of evil, so you can't really call her a traitor!" Cranidos shaking his head and remarking, "Be that as it may, she still turned against us after serving us for a while. That makes her a traitor in our eyes."

Everyone was concerned now as Meloetta did not look the least bit ready, and to the best of her knowledge, this was true. She had not yet sought out help from Lairon let alone thought up any new moves to throw her opponents off-guard.

However, Vigoroth was not going to let her lose her spirits as she smiled and patted her on the shoulder, saying, "Don't worry about a thing, Meloetta. You're not fighting this battle alone. You got me to help you out. I can take both of them if I have to," the green-haired girl giving her a light smile and nodding.

"Are you gonna stand around talking or are you gonna enter the ring so we can kick your asses!?" Cranidos retorted as Meloetta blinked and uttered, "Hold on, we haven't had a proper entrance yet."

Vigoroth stared in confusion as Cranidos nodded and said, "You know what? She's right. We can't open up a match without a cool, prehistoric entrance," Shieldon nodding and replying, "Indeed. We even had a big one planned and yet we came so close to forgetting it. I am so delighted that you brought that up, Meloetta."

"Is this an excuse to stay out of the ring?" Vigoroth whispered as Meloetta shook her head and replied, "No. Torchic told me once that entrances help to relieve stress, and right now, I'm feeling a lot of stress. I figure if I put on a big show, it'll help me forget that I'm fighting a pair of strong villains."

The sloth shrugged and replied, "Well, if it helps, then I'm all for it," patting her on the shoulder as the duo exited the area to get ready.

"Poor Meloetta," Machop groaned as Torchic sighed, "Don't worry about it. You've seen her in battle. She's strong."

All the while, Isamu was really hoping they would win. Seeing his sister behind bars made him beyond worried, and it certainly did not help that he could do nothing about it.

While Vigoroth and Meloetta prepared themselves, the others headed to the audience so they could watch the match with the rest of the crowd. The other people in the audience could not help but feel excited for this. After Meloetta defeated Vigoroth in her first match, many wondered just how well she and the sloth would work together.

Ten minutes passed as the leader sighed, "Dammit, Cranidos, making us wait," one of his allies asking, "You really want this match over with quickly, don't you?"

"Of course I do," the tan figure retorted, "I want the world to see just how much of a threat I am."

And with all said and done, Nori tapped her mic and exclaimed, "Alright, folks, it's finally time for the match to begin! In the red corner, two ferocious creatures that prove that maybe the dinosaurs weren't completely wiped out all those years ago! Introducing Cranidos and Shieldon!" the crowd booing as the two approached the ring atop a float made entirely out of bones.

Shieldon was beating two drumsticks against his face, making a descent melody with it while Cranidos danced along with it. And once the two reached the ring, they leapt off of the float and landed firmly against it, Cranidos giving the audience a wicked grin. Many people trembled at the sight of this while Shieldon bowed like a gentleman.

"Say, before we introduce the next team, I gotta ask something," Yuki said as Cranidos blinked and shrugged his shoulders, saying, "Ask away."

"Yeah, I've been studying some old fight footage from way back when, and I discovered a match that took place in the first ever Ultimate World Team Tournament," Yuki stated, "The matches that come to mind are the ones involving two particular fighters who cheated their way into the tournament, Rampardos and Bastiodon. Are you, by chance, related to them?"

The crowd was rather interested in this as Shieldon nodded and replied, "Excellent deduction. Yes, we are actually brothers. Rampardos and Bastiodon are our grandma and grandpa respectively," Nori blinking and saying, "I didn't know those two were married."

"Hey, can you two get back on track, please!?" came a familiar deep feminine voice from seemingly nowhere as Nori cleared her throat and said, "Right," before exclaiming, "And in the blue corner, one is a former villain who was taught the error of her ways by Torchic! The other is a musical angel who was once manipulated by the forces of evil but has since seen the light! An odd combination, but hopefully an effective one, Vigoroth and Meloetta!"

The crowd went wild as Meloetta approached the ring performing a tribal dance while Vigoroth came out with a pair of bongo drums, beating on them rhythmically. Cranidos rolled his eyes, viewing this as nothing more than their entrance with a lower budget, but his tune soon changed when Meloetta started to spin toward the ring, propelling herself high into the air before landing delicately against the mat, giving the crowd a curtsy.

The cheers got even louder as Vigoroth placed the drums on the ground, performing a vertical flip into the ring and holding her claws up like peace signs. And just as Torchic had predicted, this made Meloetta feel significantly less nervous as she had a big smile on her face, enjoying the applause from the crowd. Now she understood why the others liked it so much.

Cranidos shrugged and said, "That wasn't anything special," as Vigoroth frowned, Nori saying, "Once each team picks a member to go first, we can begin."

With that in mind, Vigoroth nodded at Meloetta who gave her a light smile and headed to her side of the ring, climbing over the ropes and standing by. Shieldon bowed to Cranidos and did the same, the grey dinosaur giving his brother a thumb up.

Vigoroth gritted her teeth as Cranidos smirked and said, "Oh, I've been waiting for this," Nori ringing the bell as the dinosaur wasted no time heading toward the sloth with his skull pointed forward.

Vigoroth saw this coming as she easily dodged to the side, wrapping the nearest arm around Cranidos' neck. However, the grey dinosaur knew she would try this as he continued running, Vigoroth's eyes widening as he seemed to overpower her. And soon enough, she found her back slammed hard into the turnbuckle, releasing her hold as Meloetta winced.

"Are you okay?" she uttered as the sloth was about to respond only for Cranidos to stand up on his tail and send both feet into her chest.

Machop's eyes widened as she groaned, "Oh, come on!" Torchic sighing, "Take it from someone who's fought her before. Something like that is not enough to finish her off. She'll be fine, I'm sure of it."

Unfortunately, it seemed as if Cranidos had more planned as he took hold of Vigoroth's shoulders, reeling his head back before before sending it forward, ramming his forehead hard into her face. Despite the match having lasted less than a minute, the dinosaur had already drawn blood as it trickled down Vigoroth's nostrils.

"You know what?" Cranidos asked with a smirk, "I'm glad you decided to switch sides. We don't need weaklings like you on our team," Vigoroth gritting her teeth and retorting, "TAKE THAT BACK!"

With that, the sloth completely ignored all the pain dealt earlier and sent her fists hard into the grey dinosaur's shoulders. Unfortunately, this was not nearly enough to get him to let go as he continued to ram his forehead into her face. Vigoroth once again ignored the pain as she started to send a variety of rapid punches into the same spots.

"It seems the two fighters are at a standstill as each one whales on the other," Yuki stated, "Cranidos delivers a variety of headbutts while Vigoroth responds with an onslaught of rapid punches. Which of these two can overpower the other?"

After a while, Vigoroth lost patience and thus, the next time Cranidos sent his forehead toward her, she held up her hands as that very spot ran into them. The crowd cheered as this actually proved enough to prevent her from taking in another hit, the grey dinosaur's eyes widening as he thought, 'How!? Her arms are so skinny! How can she be this strong!?'

Whatever the case, Vigoroth's aim was to do most of the work and keep Meloetta as far from danger as possible. Thus she took full advantage of this and increased her grip on Cranidos' head, lifting her legs up and sending her feet into his gut.

The cheers got louder as the grey dinosaur backed up, a look of irritation in his eyes as Shieldon said, "Don't worry about it. You've done an excellent job, but I think it's high time we switch places, don't you?"

Cranidos let out a sigh and groaned, "I want to make her pay for that, but alright. Grandpa always did say we should share the glory, right?" Shieldon nodding as Cranidos headed toward him.

However, Vigoroth would not let the grey dinosaur go without taking in one last hit. Thus she lifted herself up onto the turnbuckle before flinging herself forward, her feet hitting the back of his neck as he stumbled forward, the crowd once again cheering.

Even Meloetta could not help but applaud her friend as she squealed, "Great job, Vigoroth!" Nori exclaiming, "And after a very rough start, Vigoroth has made up for all the damage dealt earlier with her incredible skills and the flexibility of a primate!"

"I thought sloths were supposed to be slow and lazy," Cranidos growled as he tagged in Shieldon, the yellow dinosaur taking his place and replying, "Don't worry. She may have some skills, but she's lacking in brain power. I can easily overcome that."

However, Vigoroth remembered full-well that it was her aggressive nature that cost her the match against Torchic. Thus she gritted her teeth and thought, 'Don't think you can take advantage of me. The old me would have never thought up counters like the ones I just used.'

Torchic grinned and sighed, "I knew there was no way Vigoroth would fall so easily," Machop nodding and shouting, "YOU GO, VIGOROTH!"

Isamu, meanwhile, really hoped this would last as Eiko joined in with the cheering. After all, no one had seen Shieldon in action yet, so no one knew just what he had up his sleeve.

Meloetta seemed to think the same thing as she asked, "Do you want me to take over?" Vigoroth shaking her head and replying, "Thanks for the offer, but I can keep going. It's all good."

Seeing this, one cloaked figure smirked and said, "She's getting in over her head. Cranidos may be tough, but Shieldon is the real brain of this team. She's in serious trouble now."

Vigoroth did not notice this for a second as she rushed toward the yellow dinosaur, saying, "By the way, I already know your weakness," Shieldon's eyes widening as the sloth leap over his head and sent a kick toward the back of his neck.

But just as the kick was about to land, Shieldon leaned back in an arch, his face taking in the full blunt of the foot. As a result, he took in no damage as Vigoroth's eyes widened, the yellow dinosaur taking hold of her ankle and twisting it thus causing her to fall on her side.

The crowd gasped as Yuki stated, "And with a rather odd strategy, Shieldon has gotten the edge over Vigoroth. But why wouldn't a kick to his face work?"

"Because his face is an actual shield," Nori explained as the crowd gasped, "That appearance isn't just for decoration, and it was the same deal with his grandpa, Bastiodon. When Bouffalant fought him back in the day, he was under the impression that his face only looked like a shield but was quickly proven wrong when he stupidly made that his first target. It would seem Shieldon's face is exactly like that."

Vigoroth gritted her teeth as Shieldon proceeded to climb onto her back, taking hold of her chin and pulling on it while saying, "I applaud you for picking up on that so quickly. I heard that you were reckless and incapable of real strategy. But even if you are smarter than the stories say, I'm also more intelligent than I look."

Meloetta's eyes widened as she whimpered, "I gotta go in there!" remembering how Cranidos tagged in Shieldon by giving him a high five. Unfortunately, she could not reach her arm that far as she squeaked, "Oh no, I can't take her place!"

Vigoroth gritted her teeth and tried her hardest to fight the hold as Shieldon sighed, "You're only wasting your time, Vigoroth. By struggling, you only add to the pain you're feeling."

"Well, then, I'll just have to try something simpler," Vigoroth remarked with a smirk as she rose her arms up, Cranidos shouting, "HEY, BRO, LOOK OUT!"

But it was too late as the yellow dinosaur took the sloth's claws to his sides, wincing in pain as he released his hold. The crowd went wild as Vigoroth rose to her feet, taking hold of Shieldon's shoulders and growling, "Let's see your brain power save you from this! SLOTH SUPLEX!"

Meloetta breathed a sigh of relief, the others cheering wildly as Vigoroth leaned backward, lifting up Shieldon with the back of his neck facing the mat. But just as he was about to make contact, he tilted his head back as his face hit the canvas instead.

The crowd looked disappointed as Yuki said, "Just as it seemed Vigoroth had gotten her advantage back, Shieldon's face once again prevents him from taking in damage."

Things got even worse when Shieldon latched his ankles around the sloth's neck, pulling down thus causing the back of her neck to hit the mat. Meloetta once again panicked as Shieldon backed away from Vigoroth, allowing her to rise to her feet as he nodded at Cranidos.

The crowd gasped as the grey dinosaur smirked and climbed over the ropes, lowering his head as Machop spat, "HEY, WHAT THE HELL!? HE'S CHEATING!" Torchic sighing, "He's a villain. Villains do that."

"That's not a good excuse," Venipede growled as Rinko spat, "COME ON, VIGOROTH, FIGHT BACK!"

However, she was still recovering slightly from the blow to the back of her head as Cranidos charged at her with his skull glowing, Shieldon lowering his head and saying, "Let's give her a taste of our grandparents' most powerful move."

Vigoroth took in the headbutt as her back was forced up against Shieldon's face, the dinosaurs shouting, "ZEN IRON!" the sloth coughing up blood as her eyes rolled to the back of her head.

The crowd gasped and stared in silence as Cranidos backed up, allowing Vigoroth to fall forward, her chin hitting the mat hard. Needless to say, everyone was terrified now as Nori stated, "And with the infamous team move that defeated Scizor and Graveler in one hit, it seems as if Vigoroth is down for the count, leaving Meloetta all by herself. But if she doesn't enter the ring soon, this team will lose either way."

Hana gasped as Noboru let down nervous sweat, trembling and uttering, "No. Please don't let us lose Eiko and Isamu," Machop exclaiming, "COME ON, VIGOROTH, GET UP!"

Unfortunately, it really seemed as if the sloth had taken in too much damage as Meloetta narrowed her eyelids and climbed over the rope, growling, "If you're going to break the rules, so will I!"

The crowd stared in shock as Yuki stated, "Just as all seemed lost, Meloetta has bravely entered the ring to help her friend! But can she make a difference or is she just delaying the inevitable?"


	28. Chapter 28

After what Cranidos and Shieldon had done to Vigoroth, Meloetta could no longer stand on the sidelines. She had to help her friend, even if it meant breaking the rules of a tag team match. It may have been dishonest, but at the same time, she was going up against a pair of villains and could not afford to let them win. Right now, this seemed to be her only option.

Cranidos chuckled and said, "Well, what do you know? The kitten has claws after all," Shieldon bowing his head and saying, "I admire your bravery, but even with your legendary talents, you stand no chance against both of us."

Deep down, the green-haired girl knew they were right, but at this point, she did not care. At the very least, she would help Vigoroth until she recovered.

With that in mind, she proceeded to swing her hair toward Shieldon as it grew long enough to run into his side. However, it did not end there as she used all her might to force him into Cranidos, the grey dinosaur's eyes wide open as Shieldon's body running into him was enough to send him flying into the turnbuckle.

It did not end there as Meloetta stood up on one foot, spinning with the yellow dinosaur still in her grasp and shouting, "PIROUETTE SWING!" releasing her hold and sending him flying toward his brother.

Shieldon was just about to lean his body back so he could use his face to protect himself, but before he could do so, Cranidos' eyes widened a she spat, "HEY, DON'T USE YOUR HEAD!"

Shieldon gasped as he immediately realized what the grey dinosaur meant. If his skull were to ram into his brother, it would have caused him significantly more pain. Thus he kept his body upright as his back ran into Cranidos' upper body, both wincing from the pain while the crowd went wild.

"And despite being by herself, Meloetta seems to be able to stand up to these two after all," Nori stated, "Using the same move she used to defeat Torchic, the musical warrior has sent these two prehistoric nightmares into the turnbuckle."

"YEAH, YOU ROCK, MELOETTA!" Machop squealed as Torchic nodded and gave her a toe up.

But while Meloetta was glad she was able to pull that off, she looked at the unconscious Vigoroth with concern. She could only keep this up for so long.

And unfortunately, it seemed her move had not even come close to finishing off the dinosaurs as Shieldon walked forward to give Cranidos room to move. And with that, the grey dinosaur took a deep breath and glared at Meloetta, saying, "That was a lucky shot."

Meloetta was now a tad scared. Unfortunately, using her hair, voice and headpiece were the only ways she knew how to attack, and if she used Hyper Voice, there was a big chance she would end up using all of her energy. While the dinosaurs may have taken in damage so far, the green-haired girl could not take that risk.

With that in mind, she whipped out her hair again only for Cranidos to open his mouth wide, biting down on it when it came close. Meloetta whimpered as he swung his head to the right, sending her sideways into the turnbuckle.

"These are those legendary skills we've heard so much about?" Cranidos scoffed, "And to think, we were actually hoping for a challenge," Shieldon sighing, "Let's just end this."

With that in mind, Cranidos knelt down and charged toward Meloetta, the crowd gasping as Rinko spat, "COME ON, MELOETTA, FIGHT BACK!" but it was too late as the grey dinosaur's skull glowed while he shouted, "ZEN HEADBUTT!" ramming said part into the green-haired girl's gut.

Meloetta already felt intense pain from this one move alone as Cranidos lifted her up with a wicked smirk, hurling her backwards as Shieldon race toward her. He then proceeded to ram his face into hers while shouting, "IRON HEAD!"

The crowd gasped as Meloetta coughed up blood, flying backwards a bit before falling on her back. Yuki trembled as Nori stated, "And with another display of teamwork, Cranidos and Shieldon have struck Meloetta with their family's infamous finishing moves. It's truly amazing how powerful the head can be."

While Meloetta was still conscious, she found herself already having trouble rising to her feet as Noboru groaned, "Oh no! This is terrible!" Hana trembling and holding onto her husband's arm.

Isamu stared at this in panic as he thought, 'No, it can't be! I've seen them lose before, but this time, they can't afford even so much as one failure! Please get up! I don't want my sister to die!' Eiko looking certain that Meloetta and Vigoroth could rise and make a comeback.

"Don't waste your breath," Cranidos said with a maniacal laugh, "These two are finished and you all know it."

With that, he nodded at Shieldon as he returned the gesture and performed a handstand. The crowd was unsure what was going on until Cranidos took hold of his ankles and leapt high above the ring, aiming the yellow dinosaur's face toward Meloetta's back.

"IRON CUDGEL!" the dinosaurs exclaimed only for Vigoroth to finally recover just in time to race over to Meloetta, pulling her out of the way while Shieldon's face hit the canvas.

The crowd went wild as Cranidos blinked and uttered, "You okay, bro?" before releasing Shieldon and allowing him to rise to her feet as he dusted himself off, replying, "Of course I am. Remember, I have the indestructible face. Besides, my well-being is the least of our concerns right now."

With that, both dinosaurs turned toward Vigoroth with anger on their faces as the sloth helped Meloetta upright, asking, "You okay, buddy?" the green-haired girl taking a deep breath and squealing, "Thanks to you! But I don't know if I can continue to help. I can't risk using my Hyper Voice yet and-"

"It's fine," the sloth replied with a grin, "Now that I've had some time to rest, I'm sure I can take things from here."

"As if we'd allow that!" Cranidos exclaimed as he and Shieldon charged toward the two heroes, Vigoroth gritting her teeth and spinning around, sending a hard kick into Cranidos' gut.

However, Meloetta panicked when Shieldon closed in on her, thus she threw her foot back and sent it into his gut. The crowd cheered as this seemed to work, Meloetta turning to see that her kick had caused the yellow dinosaur to fly a good distance from where she stood.

Her eyes sparkled as Vigoroth gasped, "Of course! Why didn't I see it sooner!?" the green-haired girl giving her a look of confusion as she added, "From what I've heard, Lilligant was able to fight by dancing. Since your best moves are based around music, maybe you can do the same."

"Well, I can do ballet," Meloetta replied as Vigoroth nodded and replied, "That's perfect. Use that to your advantage."

"HEY, ARE YOU DONE TALKING!?" Cranidos growled as he charged toward the two, "You should never drop your guard during a match!" only for Meloetta to stand on one foot before twirling, Cranidos unable to stop himself from taking in a variety of kicks to his gut.

Shieldon tried to help out only for Vigoroth to leap toward him with her arm at the ready, the yellow dinosaur lowering his head just in time to take her clothesline there as opposed to his neck. But luckily, this provided the distraction Meloetta needed as she finished her onslaught by leaning backward and lifting her foot up, sending it hard into Cranidos' chin.

The crowd went wild as the grey dinosaur backed up, rubbing that very spot and growling as Yuki said, "And using some impressive ballet, Meloetta has managed to fight off Cranidos with an onslaught of kicks," Vigoroth lifting up Shieldon and slamming his back into the canvas.

"Wait, did she not know she could do that until now?" Machop uttered as Torchic shrugged her shoulders and replied, "Who cares? She's on a roll."

"Yeah, you're awesome, Meloetta!" Rinko exclaimed as Venipede added, "Keep it up! You got them on the ropes!" Noboru and Hana nodding with big smiles on their faces.

All the while, Garchomp was watching this from home with a big grin on her face, asking, "Did you see that, Eri?" the dog panting while wagging her tail happily.

Noboru breathed a sigh of relief and said, "It's been rough, but they might just win this after all," Hana nodding as Cranidos growled and spat, "YOU WILL PAY FOR THAT!"

Vigoroth still had Shieldon on his back while she sent various punches into his chest. But just as it seemed like she might win, the yellow dinosaur frowned and threw his arms forward, taking hold of her fists. The sloth's eyes widened as he took full advantage of this, tucking in his body and sending his feet into her gut.

Vigoroth flew off of him as she fell on her back, Shieldon rising to his feet and leaping into the air. He then pointed his face toward her and descended, shouting, "HEAVY SLAM!"

Vigoroth was unable to respond as she took the face to her gut, coughing up blood as the crowd winced. He then noticed Cranidos trying to ram his skull into Meloetta only for the green-haired girl to lean forward and twirl once more, swinging her leg into his cheek.

Shieldon would not stand for this any longer as he raced toward her. At that moment, Torchic exclaimed, "MELOETTA, WATCH OUT!" the green-haired girl instinctively sending her foot toward the yellow dinosaur only to strike his face.

While Vigoroth could at least handle hitting solid iron, Meloetta was not as physically strong. As such, her leg bent back slightly after making contact as she winced in pain. And it only got worse when Shieldon took full advantage of this, grabbing hold of her ankle and twisting it. This caused the green-haired girl to spin briefly until he let go, allowing her to fall on her face.

"What say we end this once and for all, brother?" Shieldon asked as Cranidos nodded and said, "Yeah, these two have been a bigger pain than I thought they'd be."

Panic spread through the crowd as Isamu shouted, "COME ON, GET UP, YOU TWO!" only for Cranidos to leap high above the ring, flipping himself over so his skull was pointed toward Meloetta's back.

His skull started to glow once more as he descended toward the green-haired girl, Shieldon leaping up to his level and planting his feet against his brother's. With that, both had a blue aura around them as they exclaimed, "PREHISTORIC METEORITE!"

But just as Meloetta was seconds away from taking in the hit, Vigoroth recovered just in time as she threw her arms back. Then using all her might, she propelled herself forward with her legs stretched out, Cranidos' eyes widening as she reached him just in time to latch onto his neck. Then using her momentum, she managed to force him toward toward the turnbuckle, his cheek hitting it hard as Shieldon's eyes widened.

With that, both dinosaurs lost their concentration as Shieldon fell off of his brother and onto his back, the grey dinosaur's skull hitting the mat as the rest of his body soon followed. The crowd went wild as Vigoroth took a deep breath, Torchic grinning and saying, "I knew there was no way that would be enough."

"It looked really close, folks!" Yuki exclaimed, "But Vigoroth has managed to save her partner with a very unexpected counter! This just goes to show that sometimes when you think your opponent's down for the count, she might not be!"

"COME ON, FINISH THEM OFF!" Rinko exclaimed, Noboru and Hana both nodding as Vigoroth raced over to Meloetta and helped her up.

Once the green-haired girl was back on her feet, Vigoroth grinned and said, "Come on, I got something that I know will finish them off. Just follow my lead," Meloetta giving her a light smile and nodding, saying, "Okay."

The dinosaurs were just about to retaliate until they noticed Meloetta take hold of Vigoroth's hand with her hair. She then proceeded to swing her around while performing a pirouette before releasing her hold, Vigoroth's arms spread out as the two shouted, "PIROUETTE HOOK!"

Shieldon did not look too concerned, but Cranidos' eyes widened as one arm rammed hard into his neck, causing him to cough up blood. Shieldon soon had a look of shock of his own as Vigoroth's momentum proved just enough to force him to fall on his back along with his brother, the yellow dinosaur releasing blood from his mouth as well.

The crowd cheered wildly as Nori exclaimed, "And with a powerful flying clothesline, Cranidos is down for the count! But can the same be said for Shieldon?"

It seemed this might not be the case as the yellow dinosaur started to rise only for Vigoroth to leap away from him, saying, "I think he's ready now," Meloetta nodding before shouting, "HYPER VOICE!"

All went silent among the crowd as the green-haired girl unleashed the loud melodic sound from her mouth that defeated her partner. Sound waves flew into Shieldon as various cuts formed on him, the dinosaur gritting his teeth and growling, "No! I can't let my brother's loss be in vain!"

Unfortunately, not even he could take this kind of pressure as the rim around his face started to chip. And after a few more seconds, he found himself flying backwards into the rope, the material splitting open as he fell backwards out of the ring, his back hitting the ground.

With that, Meloetta ended her song as she took many deep breaths, sweat pouring down her face as she gave Vigoroth a light smile. The sloth grinned and held her right claw up like a thumb, Nori ringing the bell and exclaiming, "While the dinosaur duo proved very dangerous, our winners are the unexpected team of Vigoroth and Meloetta!" the crowd going wild as the sloth threw her arm into the air, Meloetta smiling and waving at the cheering people.

"THAT WAS AWESOME!" Machop squealed with a big grin, "GOOD JOB, YOU TWO!" Torchic giving them both toes up as Venipede sighed, "That was too close."

Eiko blinked when she noticed her cage start to move slightly, Isamu staring as it soon stopped, the leader saying, "Well, good job. You managed to defeat two of our allies, but this is far from over. If by some chance you actually manage to win the next match, we'll let the girl go."

Isamu breathed a sigh of relief and exclaimed, "Alright, whoever's fighting next, you better do your absolute best, got it!?" as Noboru thought, 'I'm sure they will, but I hope they win too, son.'

Either way, now was a time to celebrate as Meloetta gave Vigoroth a big hug, squealing, "Thank you so much for believing in me! I don't think I ever would have discovered those new talents if you hadn't said something!" the sloth smiling and patting her on the back, Torchic sighing, "Hard to believe how malicious she used to be."

"Enough!" the leader exclaimed with a look of annoyance, "We will have our next match within the hour! Meet us at this location before then," the blue-handed figure directing everyone's attention to a map, specifically to the location of a cliff by the sea.

"Wait, they had a big map this whole time and didn't use it until now," Machop uttered, "Wouldn't that have been easier than telling us to come to a famous park and not tell us specifically where in the park it was?" Torchic saying, "We still found it pretty easily."

With that, the helicopter holding Eiko and Isamu took off toward that direction as Machop said, "Well, you heard them. Let's get going."

Meloetta and Vigoroth nodded as they headed off with their friends, Venipede and Rinko getting up as well. But before the heroes could take off, Noboru said, "Hey, we can help you get there faster."

The heroes turned as Hana gave them a sweet smile and said, "Since you're doing all of this for our kids, we figure we may as well help you out. If you want a ride, we have just enough seats in our van."

All six heroes' eyes sparkled as Machop replied, "You're too kind."

Naturally, Vigoroth and Meloetta were the happiest with this arrangement. After all, they had just finished a very tough match and thus they needed as much rest as they could get. For all they knew, they may very well have to face the last team what with there only being two other options.

But before the group could leave for good, the green-haired girl looked at Cranidos and Shieldon, uttering, "Are we just going to leave them here?" as the leader leapt into the ring and said, "Thank you for reminding me. Unlike Tentacruel, I will not allow Hero Planet's government to take them to prison as long as I have the strength to stand up to them."

With that, the tan-skinned figure lifted them up and humped them over his shoulders, carrying them off with his allies following close behind. Meloetta smiled lightly as Machop said, "Wow, I guess there are some villains out there who care about their allies."

"While their actions may be deplorable, they are still people," Torchic replied, "Heck, if they weren't they wouldn't be capable of turning good," Machop nodding and saying, "Good point."

Even so, Meloetta had a different impression of the leader than the others had. It was not so much that she did not believe a villain could feel compassion toward his allies but rather that she could see his eyes under his hood, and he had a certain look that told her he might not have been as bad as he let on. But whether or not this was true was anyone's guess.

With all said and done, the group was ready to head off now as they entered Noboru and Hana's van. And just like the father said, there were just enough seats for all six heroes, though it was a tad cramped as a result.

However, currently, none of the heroes were in the least bit concerned with that. All that mattered to them was winning the next three matches and saving their human friends. Though if the first match was any indicator, this would not be easy.


	29. Chapter 29

After roughly twenty minutes, the heroes arrived at the cliff side where the cloaked figures were waiting. Even with one victory, things were still intense. After all, if the next team lost this match, Eiko would be killed.

"Good, you're early," the leader said as the blue-armed figure added, "That just means we can start this sooner," directing their attention to a ring that had been set up on a rock formation that rose one story above the sea.

Bleachers had been set up around the ring, though they had been raised so nothing bad could happen to the audience and the same went for Nori and Yuki. After all, the leader did not wish to kill the humans. He wanted them to witness the fall of their heroes.

"And here we are one foot above ocean level!" Nori stated, "We are just about to witness yet another match between the heroes and the villains! Hopefully this next team can defeat theirs as young Eiko's life hangs in the balance!"

The pink-haired girl trembled as Isamu sighed, "Don't worry, Eiko. I'm sure they can do this," Eiko nodding and uttering, "Yeah, of course they can."

Vigoroth stared at the ring and enquired, "How is anyone supposed to enter that?" the leader replying, "By jumping, of course," the heroes, Noboru and Hana confused until two cloaked figures took to the sky and descended toward the ring, landing firmly against it.

Venipede trembled and uttered, "I hope I'm not the one entering that!" as Rinko nudged him on the side and remarked, "I thought you weren't afraid anymore!"

"Yeah, of combat!" the centipede retorted as even the brunette had to admit that the idea of having to jump into the ring scared her. After all, she still could not jump as high as her friends, not to mention landing against a surface from that height would likely hurt her feet.

Unfortunately, it seemed their fears had come true as the leader asked, "Now, who was it you two wished to face again?" one of the cloaked figures grinning and pointing at the centipede and brunette while saying, "Those two."

"WHAT!?" the duo spat, Venipede turning toward Rinko who cleared her throat and said, "It just came as a shock, is all."

Machop gave the duo a grin and nodded her head, saying, "Come on, show them what you're made of," as Venipede laughed nervously and replied, "Of course."

Meloetta could tell both were scared of jumping from this height as she asked, "Does anyone have a boat they could use or something?" only for Venipede to put on a more serious look, saying, "Get on my back, Rinko."

The brunette stared awkwardly at him as he said, "Yeah, I know you can't jump as high as someone like me, so I'll do the work for both of us."

Rinko continued to stare for thirty seconds. A part of her wanted to accept his offer right here and now, and yet for some reason, the very idea of climbing onto his back felt awkward to her.

"Hey, can you two hurry up!?" one of the cloaked figures spat, "We're not getting any younger!"

The leader nodded and folded his arms, asking, "You do want to save your friend, right?" as Noboru and Hana looked up as their kids with concern, hoping Rinko would just accept Venipede's offer.

"Right," the brunette said before taking a deep breath. She then wrapped her arms and legs around Venipede as a light blush formed on his face. Though right now, he had to relinquish any other thoughts he had. After all, this was so he and Rinko could enter the ring, nothing more.

With that, Venipede knelt down before propelling himself high into the air, descending toward the ring while Rinko did her best to hang on. After a few seconds, she tightened her hold on him just to be on the safe side as his blush brightened. As a result, the centipede wound up losing focus as his feet hit up against the ropes, causing him to trip and fall forward on his chin while Rinko blinked and uttered, "You okay, man?"

One of the cloaked figures laughed and pointed, revealing a leaf for a hand as she said, "You are too funny," the centipede blinking as the other nodded and added, "Yes, you are quite amusing. If I could laugh, I would be in hysterics right now."

Rinko rose up off of Venipede's back and growled, barking, "Hey, you take that back!" the figure with the leaf hands holding onto her sides and laughing insanely, shouting, "Oh my god, I was just threatened by Rinko! This is great!"

"What the hell are they going on about?" Torchic growled, "I didn't think that was so funny."

However, the other cloaked figures, save for the leader, joined in with their ally's laughter as one said, "Okay, that's enough. You guys may as well reveal yourselves now."

The figure with the leaf hands took many deep breaths, holding onto her chest before saying, "Alright, I'm good," before removing her cloak along with her partner.

Along with the leaves for arms, this being also had a head just like that of a Venus flytrap. Her stem was round and yellow and she had an assortment of red and green vines that resembled tentacles for legs. Needless to say, the crowd was rather intimidated by this.

Her partner was a grey mummy with a single red eye and stubby legs. His chin was made of three tooth-like projections and he had two long light-grey wispy growths coming from his shoulders and big hands with the same colour.

Venipede's fear of fighting was starting to return just from looking at these two. They were the scariest-looking villains he had ever seen, just like something out of a horror film. Even Gyarados and Tentacruel did not look nearly this threatening.

Rinko could see this as she patted him on the shoulder, whispering, "Come on, don't freak out. You've come such a long way. I know you can do this."

"Would you look at that, Dusclops?" the flytrap asked, "We're so ugly that even a bug is scared of us. This is exactly why we turned to a life of evil," the mummy folding his arms and sighing, "Don't feel too offended, Carnivine. This one scares easy. He just tries to hide it."

"What!?" Venipede retorted as Rinko was about to ask the same thing only for the flytrap, Carnivine, to fold her arms and say, "Yes, we saw your match with Tentacruel, and I have to say, the way you were trying so damn hard to hide how obviously scared you were was just hilarious."

"But I relinquished my fear in that match!" Venipede retorted as Dusclops sighed, "Who are you trying to kid, us or yourself? Admit it, the very idea of facing someone with more arms and limbs than you was terrifying."

Rinko gritted her teeth and barked, "That's not true!" before uttering, "Is it?"

The others stared as Torchic asked, "He was fully confident when he faced Tentacruel, right? He seemed fully prepared for that match," the others nodding.

However, it seemed they would soon be proven wrong as Venipede sighed, "I have to admit, Rinko, they're right. I tried so hard to convince myself that I wasn't afraid, but I was. Facing someone with eight arms and six legs was just frightening. But I was still able to fight to my fullest because, well, I remembered all my training with you and didn't want it to go to waste."

Rinko gave him a warm smile until Carnivine laughed and stated, "This is exactly why we chose you as our opponent, Venipede," the centipede staring at her as she added, "It's because out of all the heroes fighting for Tokyo, you are, by far, the funniest."

Venipede stared with confusion as Rinko gritted her teeth, the flytrap adding, "Think about it. You try to act so tough in the face of danger yet deep down, you're nothing more than a coward who should have never tried to become a hero. Not only that, but you haven't won a single match since you came to Earth!"

All went silent as no one knew how to respond to this. Venipede looked down and clutched onto the sides of his head, groaning, "They're right," Rinko staring at him with concern before scowling at Carnivine.

"Alright, you bitch," she growled, "I'll take you first!" as Dusclops shrugged his shoulders, replying, "I'm fine with that."

Carnivine smirked and said, "Good. This will be fun," as Venipede made his way over to the other side of the ring, climbing over the ropes and standing on the other side.

Rinko gave the centipede a look of concern and sighed, "Venipede, don't listen to her, okay? I'm sure she's just saying this stuff to psyche you out. Even if you haven't won a match, that doesn't mean it can't happen."

The centipede's eyes sparkled until Carnivine laughed and remarked, "Oh my god, you're almost as funny as he is!" the brunette glaring at her and retorting, "What was that!?"

Dusclops let out a sigh and said, "I'll admit, even I wish I could laugh at the stuff I've seen from you. Posing as an insect and pretending to be as strong as the mighty Scyther. You're no better than Venipede."

Rinko stared at the mummy as Carnivine added, "He's right. A mere human such as yourself shouldn't even be in the ring," as Machop gritted her teeth and snapped, "COME ON, ARE YOU GONNA JUST STAND THERE AND LET THEM TALK SHIT ABOUT YOU!?"

"No, I'm not!" Rinko retorted as Nori nodded and exclaimed, "Well, you heard the girl, folks! I think it's finally time we begin this match!" before ringing the bell as Rinko charged toward Carnivine.

Before the flytrap could even try to respond, the brunette dodged to the right and sent a roundhouse into her side. Carnivine ignored the pain and took hold of her ankle, pulling up on it and causing her to fall on her side. The crowd stared in horror as Carnivine swung Rinko around, eventually releasing her hold and allowing her to fly head-first into the turnbuckle.

"And after receiving a fierce roundhouse, Carnivine acts like she took in no damage and hurls Rinko into the turnbuckle!" Nori stated as Carnivine laughed and exclaimed, "This is exactly what I'm talking about! If anyone else had kicked me, it probably would have hurt, but you're just a weak human! You're not meant to take on creatures like us! It's a miracle you haven't been killed yet!"

Meloetta trembled and whimpered, "But that's not true. She's not weak. She took in all kinds of torture from Sneasel and still put up a good fight," Torchic nodding and saying, "Oh yeah, you actually saw that match. But I'm pretty sure Carnivine is just trying to psyche her out. I have no doubt in my mind that roundhouse did more pain that she's letting on."

Rinko seemed to realize this as she rubbed her head, grunting, "You're just full of shit! Admit it, my kick did, in fact, hurt you, didn't it!?" Dusclops asking, "Well, Carnivine, is she correct?"

"Well, it might have hurt a tiny bit," Carnivine replied with a shrug, "But I still barely felt a thing."

Rinko's eyes were wide open as the flytrap added, "I'll give you credit. Unlike your partner over there, you have managed to earn yourself one victory on Earth. Or have you?"

The audience members started talking amongst themselves as Vigoroth sighed, "Dammit. That's actually a good point," Meloetta uttering, "What do you mean?" Noboru and Hana gulping nervously.

"Admit it, you never truly defeated Voltorb, did you?" Carnivine asked with a smug look on her face, "In fact, you would have lost if he hadn't stupidly resorted to that Explosion of his, a move that covers so little space that anyone could avoid it."

"Don't listen to her!" Venipede retorted with concern only for Rinko to sighed, "No, she's right. I've thought about that match ever since it ended. She's not lying. I didn't beat Voltorb. He beat himself."

Everyone stared with concern as even Rinko's friends could not argue against this. She was right. The only reason Voltorb lost was because he activated a feature on himself that caused him to self-destruct. However, there was one thing Rinko did do as Venipede narrowed his eyelids.

"You may not think you earned that victory, but I truly believe you did!" the centipede stated, "He had you locked tight in his grip with only a few seconds left before he exploded, but did you cave in and let him do it!? No! You overpowered him and escaped from his grip! You technically dealt the final blow to him!"

Carnivine wrapped her arms around her sides and laughed insanely, shouting, "Technically dealt the final blow! So you admit it wasn't legit!" as Rinko sighed, "Thanks for trying to help, Venipede, but it's okay. I know I didn't earn my victory against Voltorb. That's why I've been training all this time, to make sure that when I finally win again, it will feel earned!"

"And how do you plan to do that?" Carnivine asked as she leapt into the air, holding her arms out and spinning toward the girl.

The crowd winced as the flytrap exclaimed, "POWER WHIP!" sending an onslaught of slaps into Rinko's cheek at the speed of a helicopter propeller. Venipede watched in horror as the brunette was sent flying into the turnbuckle once more after taking in thirty hits.

"That looked brutal!" Yuki exclaimed, "Rinko is a sitting duck as she continues to endure torment from Carnivine!" the flytrap then leaping toward the brunette as Venipede frowned and snapped, "Sorry, Rinko, but I need to do this!"

With that, he quickly shifted over to her and slapped his hand against hers. The brunette's eyes widened as the centipede leapt toward Carnivine and tucked himself into a ball, shouting, "CENTIPEDE STEAMROLLER!"

The flytrap's eyes and mouth widened as she took the blow to her gut, flying backward a bit. However, she still managed to land on her feet as Venipede retracted out of his ball-like state, taking a deep breath and asking, "You okay, Rinko?"

The crowd cheered as Yuki said, "And after a close call, Venipede has come to save his partner," Rinko rising to her feet and grinning, saying, "Danke schoen, Venipede."

However, Carnivine's look of shock turned to a maniacal grin as she thought, 'This is perfect. I know exactly how to break him,' before saying, "You were very quick to get over your fear of me. I'd be impressed if it wasn't for the obvious reason you did what you just did."

Noboru blinked and asked, "Obvious reason?" Machop groaning, "I think I know where she's going with this. I really hope Venipede doesn't let this get to him."

"Well, I care about my friend," Venipede said with a serious look in his eyes, "So what?" as Carnivine laughed and slapped her knee, retorting, "Come on, there's so much more to it than that!"

"Yes, it really is quite easy to see," Dusclops replied with his arms folded, "The reason Rinko inspires sudden bursts of courage from you is because you have a crush on her."

All went silent through the area as Vigoroth sighed, "Knew it," Meloetta replying, "But they told me they were just friends," as the sloth rested a hand on her shoulder and sighed, "You have a lot to learn about modern love."

"Wait, is that true?" Rinko asked, Venipede's cheeks bright pink as he uttered, "Um, well, uh..."

However, he was unable to answer when Carnivine leapt over his head and wrapped her left arm around his waist, the other around his head and pulled each in the opposite direction, shouting, "WRING OUT!"

This caused the centipede intense pain as he cried out in agony, Yuki saying, "And Carnivine catches Venipede off-guard and has him in a hold that looks kinda like a dragon sleeper."

The crowd gasped as Rinko bit her lower lip, her heart racing as she thought, 'What am I thinking about at a time like this?' before barking, "VENIPEDE, FIGHT IT!"

Carnivine chuckled and tauntingly said, "Yes, let the power of love guide you. It's obvious the only time you ever do a good job in a fight is when you rely on it."

"Oh god, how I wish she'd put a sock in it!" Machop growled, "All she's done so far is use words to throw them off-guard! Can't she fight them without having to resort to that!?"

"Like it or not, that's how lots of villains fight," Torchic replied, "Heck, Gyarados and Tentacruel used similar tactics against you," the girl nodding and saying, "Good point."

Venipede wanted to fight back. After all, he knew this was to save Eiko's life, but right now, he could no longer concentrate. All the while, Dusclops narrowed his eyelid and said, "Hey, save me some of the action, will you? I haven't gotten a chance to fight yet."

"Don't worry, I'm just gonna torment him a little bit longer," Carnivine said as Rinko gritted her teeth and spat, "ALRIGHT, SCREW THE RULES!" the girl propelling herself over the ropes and a sending a two-legged kick into the back of the flytrap's head.

The crowd cheered as Carnivine released her hold, Yuki saying, "And just as it seemed like Venipede would lose for sure, Rinko comes in and returns the favour from earlier," the girl raising her arm and shouting, "ARM SCHWERT!" sending a karate chop into Carnivine's skull.

With that, the flytrap finally released her hold on Venipede as he took full advantage of this. He grabbed hold of her wrists and threw her over his head, slamming her hard on her back as the cheers got even louder.

Dusclops' eye widened as he was just about to climb into the ring only for Carnivine to rise to her feet. She then rubbed her head and snickered, saying, "Wow, you two love each other so much, you'll violate the rules of a tag team match for each other."

"She's got a point there," Yuki stated, "This isn't the first time we've seen this today, but to think the heroes would do it first in this match," Nori nodding and saying, "Still, if this was a fight between heroes, I'd have to give them a warning. As this is a match between heroes and villains, they're allowed to get away with this, though it does make me wonder why they don't just turn these into tornado tag matches instead."

'That's actually a good idea,' the leader thought as Rinko took a deep breath, saying, "Whether it's allowed or not, Yuki's right," the brunette returning to her side as Venipede implied a smile and said, "Thanks for the save, anyway."

"Hey, partners look out for one-another," Rinko said with a light smile, her cheeks turning pink as she asked, "But, is that true what they're saying? Do you really have a thing for me?"

Venipede trembled nervously for a few seconds as Carnivine tagged in Dusclops, saying, "I've had enough fun with these two for now. You can take advantage of the wimp now," the mummy replying, "Thank you."

Venipede's eyes widened as he realize he could no longer think about his answer, but it was too late as Dusclops clenched his right hand into a fist, a dark aura surrounding it as he sent it toward the centipede. At first this seemed like a waste of effort as he was standing a good distance away from him, but the crowd gasped when the bandages started to unravel, allowing his fist to go further until it made contact with Venipede's face.

The centipede coughed up a bit of green blood as Dusclops exclaimed, "SHADOW PUNCH!" Venipede falling on his back as the mummy proceeded to latch onto his face, lifting him high over his head and swinging him around.

The crowd gasped as Yuki said, "And Dusclops has already proven himself a force to be reckoned with as just from that one punch, he has left Venipede unable to defend himself."

And after a few seconds, the mummy hurled him forward as Rinko could tell just from how high the centipede had been thrown that he would surely fly over the ropes. As such, once he got close to her, she leapt up toward him with her arms up.

Unfortunately, Rinko could not defy gravity like her friends. As such, she was unable to reach the centipede's height as he soared right past her, their friends staring in absolute horror as his flight ended. Thus he wound up falling into the water below the ring, Rinko's eyes wide with terror as he spat, "VENIPEDE!"

"Well, at least he didn't hit the cliff side," Eiko uttered as Isamu groaned, "Do you not see how bad this is? If Venipede is anything like a normal centipede, he probably can't swim!"

And this seemed so as the centipede struggled to stay afloat only for his arms to weaken in no time. Thus he ended up sinking as Meloetta squeaked, "OH NO! SOMEONE HAS TO SAVE HIM!"

"What a dirty tactic!" Yuki exclaimed with a look of terror, "As if using their emotions against them wasn't bad enough, Dusclops has sent Venipede careening out of the ring!"

Rinko trembled with terror in her expression. If she went down there to save him, they would be disqualified and Eiko would die. But at the same time, she did not want her best friend to drown. What could she possibly do?


	30. Chapter 30

After Venipede had been thrown into the water and started to sink, Rinko could no longer focus on the match. She had a look of terror in her eyes as she trembled, wondering if she should dive in after him or not. After all, if both heroes were out of the ring for twenty seconds, they would be disqualified.

"Rinko is the only member of her team still in the ring," Nori stated, "and to make matters worse, it would seem Venipede cannot swim, meaning if someone doesn't come to his rescue soon, he could possibly die!"

Rinko gritted her teeth as Torchic exclaimed, "RINKO, FOCUS ON THE MATCH!" the girl looking up at them as the chicken added, "Don't forget, you have us! One of us can go down and save him!" the leader of the villains raising an eyebrow.

The brunette took a deep breath and nodded, saying, "Thanks, guys," before climbing over the rope as Carnivine shrugged and said, "Whatever. I would have felt bad if I won by default," Dusclops sighing, "Well, it wouldn't exactly be the most desirable result, I'll give you that."

All the while, Machop asked, "So, which of us is gonna go and save him? As much as I'd like to, we Machs are terrible swimmers."

"My family was always better at it than most fire types," Torchic replied, "but since I don't have arms, I've always had trouble."

Noboru frowned and said, "Don't stress yourselves out over this," the man taking off his shirt and adding, "I'll go in there."

Hana stared at him as her cheeks turned pink, Vigoroth asking, "You sure?"

The man nodded with a serious look in his eyes and replied, "Of course. We're talking about my daughter's life here. Rinko needs to stay focused on this match, but what's more is that even with her skills, I don't think she can take both villains at once. I can't take that risk."

Before anyone could protest against this, Noboru ran toward the edge of the cliff and leapt off of it, flipping upside-down and diving gracefully into the water. While this happened, Rinko seemed at ease now as she charged toward Dusclops, ramming her elbow into his chest.

The mummy's eye widened as the girl wasted no time sending a barrage of punches into his face, Yuki exclaiming, "Now that Rinko's fighting both villains by herself, she's not holding back as he unleashes an onslaught onto Dusclops!"

But just as it seemed like she had the upper hand, Carnivine smiled wickedly and said, "As long as Venipede's out of the ring, we may as well have a little fun, eh?"

The brunette was unable to respond in time as Carnivine leapt high above the ring, wrapping her feet around one-another until they formed a spike. She then proceeded to spin while shouting, "LEAF DRILL!"

Rinko's eyes widened as she took the blow to her skull, a small amount of blood flying out of that spot as she fell on her back. Dusclops nodded at his partner and said, "Thank you. I'd have rather not resorted to that, but I guess it was necessary in the end."

"And just as quickly as Rinko got the advantage back for her team, she loses it as Carnivine and Dusclops are now fighting at the same time," Yuki said as the crowd panicked, Machop groaning, "This is painful! Come on, Isamu and Eiko's dad! Hurry up!"

However, it seemed Carnivine had something else in mind entirely as she smiled wickedly and said, "Dusclops, you keep her busy. I have something I need to take care of," the crowd and the announcers gasping when the flytrap leapt onto the ropes, bouncing off of them and diving into the water below.

"She's not doing what I think she is," Machop uttered, "Is she?" Vigoroth gritting her teeth and growling, "ALRIGHT, I'M GOING IN THERE!"

Before anyone else could question this, the sloth dove into the water below, Meloetta whimpering, "Be careful," as Machop groaned, "I hope she'll be okay. You two just finished a match."

Rinko slowly started to rise only for Dusclops to leap on top of her gut. He then started punching her in the face, saying, "Your punches were pretty tough, but nothing special."

But just as he sent another one toward her, she threw her hands up and took hold of his fist. A serious look formed in her eyes as she growled, "Until Venipede returns to the ring, I'm gonna do my absolute damndest to make sure we stand a chance! Today's the day we earn our first real victory and no cheap tactics are going to stop that!"

With that in mind, Rinko tucked her legs in before sending her feet hard into Dusclops' gut. The mummy's eyes widened as he flew into the air, Rinko leaping up and grabbing hold of him. The crowd went wild as she placed him on her shoulder, leaning backward and shouting, "FLYING HAMMER!"

She then drove the back of his head into the mat as Yuki exclaimed, "And just as all seemed lost, Rinko retaliates to Dusclops' attacks with her infamous Flying Hammer!"

The brunette took a deep breath with a light smile and thought, 'Yeah, I'll defeat Dusclops for sure. You guys just focus on saving Venipede.'

All the while, Venipede looked like he was on the verge of drowning as his eyes were closed. Luckily, Noboru had gotten close, but just as he was seconds away from saving the centipede, Carnivine caught up with him and opened her mouth wide. But just as it looked like she was seconds away from eating him, her eyes widened when her movement suddenly came to a halt.

Noboru wrapped a single arm around Venipede and turned back upward when he noticed this, Vigoroth digging her claws into Carnivine's legs with a supportive grin. But just as it seemed like the flytrap had been taken care of for good, she frowned and spun her body around. Vigoroth's eyes widened as Carnivine forced her backwards, shifting her body sideways and sending the sloth's back into the cliff side.

Vigoroth coughed up blood as it seemed the damage she took in during her match against the dinosaurs had taken a toll on her. Thus she started to drift toward the surface as Noboru swam toward her, hoping to save both heroes.

Unfortunately, there was no way Carnivine would allow this as she once again pursued him. At the very least, Vigoroth's buoyancy would allow her to be saved, but now Noboru and Venipede needed help again.

Rinko was currently dodging punches from Dusclops when her friends noticed bubbles start to rise up from the water next to the cliff. When they saw Vigoroth's head rise up, they were just about ready to cheer before noticing that she was unconscious and drifting there.

"VIGOROTH!" Meloetta squeaked in terror as Rinko turned, taking a punch to her cheek as Dusclops said, "You shouldn't ignore your opponent during a match."

However, Rinko ignored the hit and gritted her teeth, shouting, "Hey, Nori, how long can a fighter stay out of the ring before a ring out is declared!?"

"Twenty seconds," the older woman replied as the brunette nodded and said, "That's just long enough," before running toward the ropes.

"As if I'd allow you to do that," Dusclops said as he sent his hand toward her. However, the girl saw this coming as she turned around, taking hold of the body part and using it to swing the mummy into the turnbuckle.

With that, Rinko smirked and said, "I'll be seeing you again soon," before climbing up onto the rope and diving off of it into the water below.

Everyone gasped as Yuki exclaimed, "And in a last-ditch effort to save her partner, Rinko has left the ring!" Nori nodding and starting the twenty count while everyone else panicked.

All the while, Hana bit her lower lip, letting down tears and thinking, 'Please save him, Rinko. I don't want to lose anyone today.'

Eiko trembled in fear as Isamu really hoped she could do this. But even if she could save Venipede, how would she be able to return to the ring? Even with a great deal of momentum, a human could not jump that high.

Noboru was currently caught in Carnivine's grip. But just as it seemed like the flytrap was going to eat him and Venipede, Rinko managed to reach them as she sent a karate chop into her side. The water softened the blow to a certain degree, but it was still enough to cause the flytrap to release her hold.

With that, Noboru nodded at Rinko and started to swim toward the surface once more, the brunette really hoping Venipede was still alive. But before she could resume her trip, Carnivine managed to recover as she swam toward her, wrapping her arms around her and swimming toward the surface. For whatever reason, she had now chosen to ignore Venipede as Noboru stared in confusion but refused to stop swimming.

On the surface, everyone stared at Nori reached fifteen seconds, Meloetta cupping her hands together and saying, "Please let them be okay."

And soon enough, bubbles rose up as everyone was shocked to see Carnivine rise with Rinko in her grip. She then leapt high into the air toward the ring, flipping the brunette upside-down and exclaiming, "FORGET WINNING BY RING OUT! I WANT THE SATISFACTION OF KNOCKING YOU OUT!"

Dusclops nodded and sent his hands upward, Yuki exclaiming, "And Carnivine rises up with Rinko set up for a piledriver!" the mummy's hands grabbing onto Rinko's head and pulling her toward the canvas, speeding up her descent.

The crowd gasped as the villains exclaimed, "SARCOPHAGUS PILEDRIVER!" the girl's head hitting the mat hard as she coughed up blood.

Nori ended the count, but it hardly seemed to matter as Carnivine released her hold, allowing Rinko to pass out. It was at this moment that Noboru rose up with Venipede in his grasp, applying a strong enough grip to get him to cough up all the water he had swallowed.

The others stared as Nori said, "It would seem Venipede is back and alive, but will he be able to defeat these two villains without Rinko's help?"

Upon hearing those very words, Venipede's eyes widened as he spat, "WHAT DO YOU MEAN!?" before asking, "Mister Noboru, sir, can you give me a boost?"

Noboru nodded and said, "I might be able to do that," as he continued to kick his legs, lifting the centipede up on his shoulders as Machop uttered, "What's he doing?"

"I get it," Torchic said with a nod of her head, "Because he can't swim, he can't jump out of the water. Thus he needs something to stand on in order to return to the ring."

"How are you holding up?" Venipede asked as Noboru grinned and replied, "I'm fine. Just go in there and save my daughter."

The centipede nodded and propelled himself off of the man's shoulders, rolling up into a ball and spinning vertically toward the ring. The crowd cheered as Hana breathed a sigh of relief, saying, "Thank god. I was really worried."

And sure enough, Venipede managed to reach the height as Carnivine frowned and said, "Now to end this match for good," leaping toward him.

But just as she was about to get close, the area within the circles on Venipede's shoulders started to glow. And sure enough, that glow expanded into a pair of transparent magenta buzz saws made of pure energy as he barked, "CENTIPEDE STEAMROLLER!"

Carnivine's eyes widened as the blades rammed into her arms, drawing blood as she cried out in pain. With that, the flytrap was slammed hard against the mat as she coughed up more of the substance, her eyes rolling to the back of her head as she no longer seemed able to move.

The crowd went wild as Nori exclaimed, "Not only has Venipede mastered his family's infamous Centipede Steamroller, but he has also managed to defeat Carnivine! That just leaves Dusclops!"

The mummy's eye widened before narrowing as he said, "I'll admit, that's impressive, but don't think for a minute I'm gonna let my partner down."

But just as he was about to fight back, his eyes widened when he felt something hold him back. He then slowly turned his head around and lowered his eye to see that Rinko had regained consciousness, a smirk on her face as her hand was placed firmly against his leg.

"No!" Dusclops uttered, shaking his head as Venipede implied a big smile with his eyes, saying, "Let's finish him together."

The crowd cheered even louder as Meloetta breathed a sigh of relief, the others having lowered a rope for Noboru to grab onto while using his other hand to hold Vigoroth. After he took hold of it, the heroes along with Hana combined their efforts to carry him up.

Once he reached the surface, his wife gave him a big hug and kissed his cheek, exclaiming, "I THOUGHT YOU WERE GOING TO DIE!" the man patting her on the back and saying, "It's a good thing our kids have some great friends."

All the while, Rinko managed to rise to her feet, once again setting Dusclops up for her Flying Hammer. But when she leapt into the air and leaned backward, Venipede jumped forward and wrapped his arms around the mummy. With the added weight of the centipede, Rinko's attack was given more force as Dusclops' skull was slammed hard into the mat, the two shouting, "FLYING WARHAMMER!"

Dusclops' eye widened briefly before slowly closing, Venipede and Rinko releasing their hold on him and allowing him to collapse. All went silent as Nori and Yuki watched closely just to make sure Dusclops could no longer move and that Carnivine did not make a surprise recovery.

And once enough time had passed, Yuki rang the bell and exclaimed, "And with their combined efforts, Rinko and Venipede have managed to win the match and save Eiko's life!" the crowd going wild as Noboru and Hana gave each other a tight embrace, shouting, "I KNEW THEY COULD DO IT!"

Machop grinned and gave the duo a big thumb up while Torchic sat down to applaud them with her talons. Meloetta squealed with excitement and clapped wildly as well, Vigoroth too weak to join in.

With that, the leader of the villains pressed a button as Eiko's cage vibrated. The bottom opened up as the girl screamed while descending toward the mat. Isamu's eyes widened as he spat, "HEY, YOU SAID YOU WEREN'T GONNA KILL HER!"

"No, I said we would free her," the leader grunted as Rinko exclaimed, "Don't worry!" holding her arms out and catching Eiko just as she was less than a second away from hitting the canvas.

It took a lot for her to hold another human up, but thanks to all the strength she had built up, she managed to pull it off as she breathed a sigh of relief, the crowd cheering once more. Tears welled up in Eiko's eyes as she wrapped her arms around the brunette, sniffing, "Thank you so much!"

"Any time," Rinko said with a warm smile, patting her on the back before setting her down.

Isamu breathed a sigh of relief and thought, 'Thank god. At least she's finally safe,' as he then looked down at Machop who gave him a big grin and a thumb up. There was no way she would let him die.

All the while, the blue-armed figure turned to his leader and said, "This is looking bad. They've already managed to defeat half of us," looking at Cranidos and Shieldon who were currently resting up against a tree.

The leader nodded and replied, "Don't worry. My plan for these last two matches will guarantee our success. Then the world will know my name."

With all said and done, the leader pressed another button as various bridges jutted out of the ring and bleachers so those above the sea could exit the area and step onto dry land. After all, while the leader wanted to take over Tokyo, he did not wish to leave his possible future subjects in the middle of the ocean.

Eiko wasted no time running along the bridge attached to the ring before reaching her parents, jumping into Noboru's arms with a big smile. Hana soon joined in as all three shared a group hug, Rinko letting down light tears.

Venipede took a deep breath and said, "Well, we finally did it. We finally got our first real victory on Earth," Rinko nodding before turning to face the centipede and adding, "So, about my question earlier."

The centipede's cheeks flushed pink as he cleared his throat, uttering, "Well, I can't say that Carnivine's words were completely true," the brunette looking disappointed until he added, "The truth is, I don't have a crush on you. It's more than that. Honestly, I love you."

"Really!?" Rinko spat, her eyes wide open as she was taken aback, Venipede nodding and saying, "Yeah, you may not think it yourself, but I think you're amazing. The way you've overcome your weaknesses to be able to fight on our level, the way you helped me overcome my fear of fighting, pretty much everything about you I love."

Rinko gave the centipede a big smile as more tears poured down her cheeks, the brunette sniffing, "The truth is, I love you too," the two then embracing one-another and sharing a kiss.

The audience let out a loud 'Aw' in response to this as Yuki blinked and uttered, "Is that normal?" Nori nodding and replying, "Yep, humans and heroes have formed romances ever since Machamp's time. Heck, Rinko's mothers are a human and an insect," the younger woman nodding and replying, "So it's kinda like fate."

At that moment, the leader entered the ring and lifted up his fallen comrades, sighing, "If you two are done, I'd like to reveal the location of the next match," Rinko frowning as Venipede sighed, "He's right. The sooner we get this done, the sooner we can save Isamu."

The brunette nodded with a light smile as the two headed back toward their friends while holding hands. At least for the time being, things seemed to be going well.

The leader revealed that the next match would take place in the mountains. Torchic smirked and said, "Well, I already had one match there. I'm fine with this."

And just like before, they were to assemble there within the hour, Noboru and Hana gladly offering them a ride. As for Vigoroth, she was to be taken to the hospital, thus an ambulance had been called to pick her up later. After all, she no longer had the strength to watch the remaining matches.

Either way, Machop and Torchic had a feeling that they were next and thus the two grinned at one-another. The girl pounded her fist against the chicken's clenched talon as all five heroes and their human friends were ready to head off. There was no way they would allow Isamu to die, not after coming so far.


	31. Chapter 31

With the first two matches taken care of and Eiko finally having been saved, the heroes were now on their way to the mountains for the third match. Machop had a feeling she and Torchic would be going next and there was no way she would allow herself to lose.

Once the group arrived, Noboru and Hana looked up at Isamu as Eiko called out, "Don't worry, bro! You'll be free soon enough!" the boy nodding and giving his sister a warm smile, thinking, 'Yeah, I have faith in Machop and Torchic.'

Once again, bleachers had been set up and were filled with people. Yuri and Nori were also there behind a new desk, both looking forward to this match. After all, they had been looking forward to seeing Machop fight and had no doubt in their minds that the leader could not have anyone else in mind for the third match.

The four villains who had been defeated were still unconscious and resting up against a wall. Meloetta was truly amazed by just how much the leader cared about his partners. He was certainly a lot less selfish than Tentacruel had been.

"Now that you're here, I guess we may as well get this underway," the tan-skinned figure stated, "Machop, Torchic, you probably already guessed this, but you'll be facing the next team."

"Knew it," Machop said with a grin as Torchic nodded and added, "Bring it on. We're ready."

With that in mind, the leader nodded at the only figures whose features had not been revealed. Thus they leapt into the ring and removed their cloaks, revealing their true appearances.

The first was an odd cyborg with an upper body made up of four interlocking gears. There was a big one at the back with a smaller one attached to the front with a green sphere lodged into the middle. Attached to the lower portion of that one was a gear with a red sphere pointed outward. The fourth gear was the smallest and was also clearly the cyborg's head as this one had a round green nose, a mouth and two eyes, one of which was a white X. Surrounding his body was a ring with two mechanical arms attached to the sides, slender hands with sharp red claws attached to the ends. Though for whatever reason, this cyborg was able to stay in the air despite having no legs.

His partner was a grey butterfly with perfectly round hands and thin oval-shaped arms and legs. Her wings were twice the size of her torso and were bright pink with black edges. Her eyes were black with what appeared to be white pixels in the middle of each.

Many stared in confusion as Machop uttered, "Wow, this is a weird combination," Torchic asking, "How did the butterfly hide her wings under the cloak so well?"

"It is a pleasure to meet the mighty Machop and Torchic," the cyborg said with a bow, "I am Klinklang," the butterfly adding, "And you may call me Vivillon," flapping in front of the sun as the light caused her wings to sparkle.

"Odd combination or not, we can't take these two lightly," Torchic stated as Machop smirked and said, "Yeah. As long as we use our heads, we'll wipe the floor with them."

"Alright, folks, we are just about ready to begin the match," Nori stated as the crowd was pumped up, Machop's friends taking a seat in the crowd as they were more than ready to support their friends.

"This is gonna be so awesome!" Eiko squealed, "I just know they're gonna win!" Hana and Noboru nodding as after having seen Machop in action, they had no doubt she could do this.

'Well, maybe they'll win, maybe they won't,' the leader thought, 'It won't matter in the end because if they do win, they'll have to face us in the final match with only an hour to rest up. This plan is perfect.'

But just as Machop and Torchic were about to enter the ring, the crowd gasped when a green streak flew into the ring, striking both villains in the chest. The crowd stared in confusion as Nori stated, "And before the heroes of Tokyo could even advance forward, someone or something has just attacked their opponents."

"What!?" the leader spat, his eyes wide with shock as Klinklang winced, asking, "Who did that? I'm pretty sure this goes against our agreement," Vivillon noticing a small cut on her midsection as she uttered, "Whoever it is, they'll pay."

Soon enough, the streak came to a halt to reveal a certain weasel-like cat, the crowd gasping as Yuki exclaimed, "And in a shocking turn of events, the being who attacked Klinklang and Vivillon was Sneasel! But what's she doing here and how does she expect to face these two by herself!?"

"Oh, I'm not alone," Sneasel replied as the crowd gasped upon seeing the golem, Gigalith enter the area, slowly approaching the ring with a serious look in his eyes.

Torchic stared in stunned silence as she uttered, "What the hell is going on here?" the golem leaping into the air and landing firmly against the ring, causing the area to vibrate as no one could believe this.

"That's a good question!" the blue-armed figure snapped, "This is a match between our allies and the heroes of Tokyo! What the hell are you two doing here attacking our team!?" Klinklang and Vivillon shooting the duo a glare, wanting an answer as well.

Sneasel turned to Machop and grinned, saying, "I have no doubt after the way you beat me that you can probably win this match, but I can just tell that guy over there is planning to have you and Torchic fight in the final match when this is over," pointing at the leader as his eyes widened, everyone staring.

"Wait, seriously?" Machop uttered as the tan-skinned figure sighed, "Yeah, that was definitely my plan, but that doesn't explain a thing! Are you telling me you and Gigalith here intend to take their place!?"

Gigalith folded his arms and nodded, turning to Torchic and giving her a thumb up. The chicken's eyes sparkled as she said, "So you decided to take my advice after all."

"So you've chosen to turn to the side of good too," Vivillon growled as Klinklang folded his arms and nodded, turning toward the leader and saying, "Sir, I know you wanted us to fight Machop and Torchic, but seeing as these two have already launched the first attack against us, I'd feel much more satisfied teaching them a lesson."

The blue-armed figure turned to his leader, not sure if he would approve of this. However, as much as it pained him to go against his original plan, he had to admit that Klinklang had a point. After all, these two were clearly a threat that could not be ignored. Thus he took a deep breath and nodded his head, saying, "Agreed."

The crowd was unsure how to feel about this as Yuki exclaimed, "And you heard it yourself, folks! It would seem that former villains, Sneasel and Gigalith will be fighting for the sake of Tokyo instead of the originally planned Machop and Torchic! Will this prove to be a much better arrangement or would we have been better off with the original match-up? We'll just have to wait and see!"

After a few seconds, the crowd's shock and confusion became excitement as they cheered for Sneasel and Gigalith, the cat's eyes sparkling as she said, "Wow, they're actually cheering for us," Gigalith nodding. If he had a mouth, he would have been smiling right now.

'Whatever,' the leader thought with a frown, 'Even if they win, I know I can defeat Machop. I wanna prove to the world that my family is worth something, do what my father and uncle were never able to accomplish!'

Machop folded her arms and grinned, saying, "I have no doubt things will work out. After all, they both brought us closer to failure than any other opponent so far," Torchic nodding and replying, "Yeah. I'm sure they can do it."

"Hey, Gigalith, do you wanna go first?" Sneasel asked as Klinklang and Vivillon had already decided to let the cyborg start things off.

Seeing this, the golem nodded as he entered the ring. This was not just because this opponent could possibly resist more damage from a fighter like Sneasel but also because he wanted to prove to both Torchic and himself that he was ready to fight evil.

With that in mind, Sneasel leapt over the rope and stood by her own side while giving Gigalith a right claw up. Vivillon was already on her own side as Klinklang stood before the golem and narrowed his good eye.

Yuki nodded and said, "The combatants are set! With that in mind, let the match begin!" before ringing the bell.

Klinklang immediately started the match by charging toward Gigalith. However, the golem was ready as he threw his arms out, placing them firmly against the cyborg's ring and holding him back. Unfortunately, it seemed Klinklang was prepared for this as he sent a hard punch into Gigalith's face, his arm more than long enough for this to work.

But just as the crowd was about to panic, Gigalith narrowed his eyes and swung his arms to the side, sending the cyborg careening into the ropes. And as he bounced off, the golem held out his arm as the cyborg's midsection ran into it, his eye widening.

"Yeah, keep it up!" Torchic exclaimed as the crowd cheered, Eiko clapping and squealing, "That was awesome!"

Unfortunately, Klinklang seemed to ignore the pain as he took hold of Gigalith's shoulders, the crowd staring as the golem soon found his head pulled forward. Klinklang then lowered it so it went under his floatation ring and wedged it between two of the teeth on his lower gear. And since the golem's head was big enough, it was stuck there as Sneasel gritted her teeth and hissed, "COME ON, FIGHT IT!"

Unfortunately, Gigalith could not do so as Klinklang's gears started to rotate, the golem now spinning around as the cyborg exclaimed, "GEAR CATAPULT!" the crowd gasping as after a few seconds, Gigalith's head loosened as he flew back-first into the turnbuckle.

"Gigalith seemed to have caught Klinklang off-guard, but instead he only managed to set himself up for the cyborg's equivalent of a giant swing!" Nori stated as the crowd stared in shock, Torchic groaning, "No, this can't be right. He's so much better than this. I took in all sorts of punishment. That clothesline should have had more of an effect."

"Yeah, but don't forget, Klinklang's made of metal," Rinko growled as she folded her arms, "If he was going up against Vivillon, he'd probably stand much more of a chance, but since Klinklang is just as hard as he is, if not more, he's much more of a challenge."

Gigalith scowled at Klinklang as Sneasel asked, "You alright, buddy?" the golem nodding and giving her a thumb up. He then pushed himself upright as Vivillon smirked and said, "Good job, Klinklang. Keep this up, and we'll beat them in no time."

The cyborg nodded as he held his arms out, the crowd watching with interest as his floatation ring started to spin. Gigalith's eyes widened as Klinklang formed fists with his hands, floating toward the golem and shouting, "GEAR FLAIL!"

Gigalith instinctively held up his arms as the fists ran into his forearms. However, Klinklang easily got around this as his ring floated higher, thus raising his arms as he moved closer. As a result, his fists ended up hitting the top of Gigalith's head thus causing him to fall on his side.

The crowd gasped as Klinklang stopped his ring from spinning. He then cupped his hands together to form one big fist as he rose them high above his head, sending them crashing down upon the golem's waist as he groaned in pain.

"GIGALITH!" Sneasel exclaimed as everyone else stared in horror, Meloetta whimpering, "Oh no! Klinklang's too strong for him!"

Torchic gritted her teeth and growled, "Dammit! I know Gigalith should be able to handle this!" only for Venipede to utter, "Don't forget, your feet and beak were both able to deal pain to him. If you could pull that off, then being hit by steel is probably even worse for him."

Sneasel stared with concern and held her arm out, shouting, "Come on, Gigalith, tag me!" the golem turning toward her with a sigh and slowly pushing himself up so he could approach her.

Unfortunately, Klinklang had much more planned as he lifted the golem up by his arms, saying, "Here, let me help you," spinning his ring around thus allowing him to swing the golem, sending him face-first into the turnbuckle closest to his feline companion.

The crowd panicked as Vivillon folded her arms, smirking and saying, "You're even more awesome than I thought, Klinklang. That living boulder doesn't stand a chance."

Klinklang nodded and folded his arms, saying, "He may be strong, but one thing he does not have on his side is speed, which I have plenty of. He never should have opposed me."

Sneasel gritted her teeth as Gigalith looked down, hopelessness in his eyes. However, the cat refused to allow this as she patted him on the shoulder, saying, "Don't let this get to you, okay? You're the strongest fighter I know. That Klinklang is just pompous because he managed to get in a few lucky hits, that's all. But right now, you need some rest. Signal me to tag you in when you feel ready."

The golem nodded and gave Sneasel a high five thus taking her place, Nori saying, "After taking in such a horrible beating, Gigalith has switched places with Sneasel. But was this a smart choice or would he have been better off staying in the ring?"

Klinklang grinned and cracked his metallic knuckles, saying, "This just got easier," the cat retorting, "WHAT WAS THAT!?"

"You know exactly where he's coming from," Vivillon stated with a smug grin, "Think about it. You may be strong, but there's no way you could harm steel!" the crowd unsure whether or not they could argue against this. Even the announcers, Machop and her friends were thinking the same thing.

However, Sneasel refused to let this get to her as she said, "Whatever. If you're so confident, Klinklang, then fight me instead of just talking about how superior you are!"

"Very well," Klinklang retorted as he flew toward Sneasel with his arms pointed outward and his ring spinning. But just as he was about to strike the cat, she leapt up into the air with her arm stretched out, her claws scraping up against the side of his head gear.

The crowd stared in shock as this actually got a reaction from the cyborg, his eyes and mouth wide open. And it did not end there as Sneasel flipped her body one-hundred-and-eighty degrees, her feet now facing the ropes. Once she made contact with them, the cat propelled herself back toward Klinklang and cupped her claws together, spinning like a drill.

The crowd went wild as the cyborg was unable to respond, taking the strike to his back as Sneasel exclaimed, "FELINE POWER DRILL!" Machop's eyes sparkling as she squealed, "YEAH! THAT'S WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT! YOU'RE AWESOME, SNEASEL!"

Gigalith breathed a low sigh of relief at the sight of this as Sneasel's spinning came to a halt. Thus she leapt away from the cyborg with a grin on her face while he and Vivillon stared at her with horror.

"While Klinklang's body is strong, Sneasel has still managed to harm him with her razor sharp claws," Yuki stated as Nori nodded and added, "It would seem this feline warrior is even stronger than we first thought, and considering how close she came to beating Machop, that's saying something."

Vivillon had no comments as Klinklang gritted his teeth, growling, "How is that even possible!? That actually hurt!" as Sneasel sighed, "As a fellow non-human, you should know by now that someone like me is much tougher than a normal feline. But also, I knew that my claws would hurt you after I struck you prior to the match."

Klinklang's good eye went wide as she added, "Remember? I slashed you and your partner before this match could even begin, and I remember your reaction. You may not have bled like your partner over there, but you still showed signs of pain. I may not be as physically strong as Gigalith, but I can hurt you and I'm much faster. If anything, that makes me just as dangerous if not more."

A smirk formed on her face as the leader clenched his fists, the blue-armed figure replying, "Don't worry. I'm sure this won't last."

"Yeah, take it from someone's who's faced her before!" Rinko exclaimed, "Sneasel is a lot tougher than she looks!" Venipede nodding and saying, "Oh yeah, you were in a worse state than Tentacruel left me in, weren't you?"

Klinklang took a deep breath and said, "Alright, Vivillon, you're up," the butterfly grinning as she said, "Good. Now I can get my revenge."

"That's what you think!" Sneasel exclaimed as she leapt at Klinklang only for the cyborg to barely dodge her, tagging in Vivillon as the two traded places.

Everyone watched in anticipation as Yuki said, "And now Vivillon has taken her partner's place. But was this really such a good idea or is this only going to make things more difficult for the villains?"

Many figured it would as Vivillon still had that small cut dealt by Sneasel earlier. But despite that, she had a smug look on her face as she folded her arms, saying, "Klinklang is certainly a scary opponent for you to face, but let me tell you something, you've never fought the likes of me before."

Sneasel blinked and uttered, "Are you actually trying to psyche me out with that lack of muscle?" Gigalith detecting more strength than the butterfly's appearance showed. He would have warned Sneasel to be careful, but since he was a mute, this was difficult to say the least.

The others seemed to pick up on this, though, as Machop growled, "That Vivillon looks weak, but I'm sure there's a reason that cloaked guy accepted her into his team," Venipede nodding and uttering, "Something about her rubs me the wrong way. I usually feel at least intimidated by villains, but this one just gives off some really bad vibes."

Sneasel readied herself as Vivillon flew up high enough for the sun to once again reflect off of her wings, the light hitting the cat's eyes. She hissed in response to this as the butterfly flew toward her, ramming her skull hard into her chest.

The crowd watched in horror as Vivillon proceeded to shout, "DRAINING KISS!" planting her lips against Sneasel as all went silent, Yuki uttering, "First she hits Sneasel, then she kisses her?" Rinko shrugging and asking, "What's the big deal? I have two moms."

"Yeah, but aren't they enemies?" Torchic remarked as Vivillon rested her arms under Sneasel's armpits and took to the sky, spinning her body around and building up a huge gust of wind.

Sneasel's eyes started to spin as Gigalith stared with concern, wanting to go in and help. Unfortunately, it was too late as Vivillon flipped one-hundred-and-eighty degrees, flying toward the mat and shouting, "HURRICANE DRIVER!"

Sneasel's skull hit the mat hard as her eyes and mouth widened, blood flying out of her. Vivillon then released her hold and distanced herself with a big grin on her face, Yuki saying, "And it would seem that kiss was a distraction so Vivillon could deliver a powerful slam to her opponent!"

"She's definitely got a lot of guts to try a tactic like that," Machop uttered as Noboru frowned and pointed, shouting, "That wasn't her plan at all! Look!"

Soon everyone noticed it. The wound that Sneasel had inflicted to Vivillon earlier had vanished. After a few seconds, many people started to realize exactly what the butterfly had done to cause this as Sneasel looked slightly weaker than she should have.

"Oh my god, Vivillon's even worse than Klinklang!" Venipede cried out in terror as Rinko nodded and said, "You were right. I'm starting to wonder who the real powerhouse of this team is."

"Well, good, it seems you all realize my actual reason for kissing another girl," Vivillon stated with a slight look of irritation in her eyes, "Sneasel is quite attractive for a feline, but I'm not into girls. No, I simply needed some of her life inside of me."

Machop lowered her eyelids and uttered, "That didn't sound suggestive at all," as Nori explained, "You heard it yourself. That kiss earlier allowed Vivillon to absorb some of Sneasel's vitality, thus healing her chest and rendering the damage dealt earlier useless."

Needless to say, those who initially underestimated Vivillon were now more terrified of her than they had been of Klinklang. As strong and scary as he was, she was already showing more results from only three attacks. The fight had already started off tough and now it had gotten even more difficult.


	32. Chapter 32

While everyone had been excited to see Sneasel and Gigalith fight for the side of good, things could not have looked worse for them. Despite these two having come so close to defeating Torchic and Machop respectively, they had barely dealt any damage to Klinklang while Vivillon was still in perfect health. And to make matters even worse, Sneasel had been knocked out and no one knew if she would be able to recover from that or not.

Eiko bit her lower lip and whimpered, "They can make a comeback, right?" as Isamu was now scared. As happy as he was to see his sister okay, he could not imagine her growing up in a world without him, at least not yet.

Machop would no longer stand for this as she rose to her feet and snapped, "COME ON, SNEASEL! YOU'RE ONE OF THE MOST CHALLENGING OPPONENTS I HAVE EVER FACED!" Rinko nodding and barking, "After the way you defeated me, you're not allowed to lose!"

The audience cheered as well while Gigalith refused to accept this as well. He knew Sneasel enough to know that one powerful hit was not going to be enough to take her down for good. Thus he started to beat his fists against the side of the ring in a rhythmic fashion while the crowd started chanting the cat's name.

Vivillon laughed and exclaimed, "Gotta love their devotion to these weaklings! Even when all is lost, they continue to cheer in the hopes that it'll actually help."

Klinklang blinked and pointed at Sneasel, uttering, "Don't look now, but I think it's actually helping," the butterfly's eyes widening as Sneasel planted her claws firmly against the mat, slowly pushing herself up as she breathed heavily, hissing, "Okay, so I underestimated you. Don't think for a minute that I'll do that again."

The crowd cheered as Yuki said, "And after all the pain dealt earlier, Sneasel continues to stand," as Vivillon shrugged and sighed, "Big deal. You may be tough against slower and less intelligent opponents, but against the likes of me, your speed and ferocity mean nothing."

"Wait, what was that about less intelligent?" Klinklang uttered as Vivillon sighed, "Oh no, you're smart. You're just not as fast," the cyborg nodding and replying, "Oh, okay. I can't argue with that."

Sneasel hissed angrily and snapped, "You may have caught me off-guard once, but it's not happening again!" as Vivillon flew in front of the sunlight with her wings spread out.

Unlike before, though, the cat saw this coming as she swerved to the right, leaping atop the ropes and propelling herself toward the butterfly. But just as she was about to strike her, Vivillon moved forward just enough to avoid an incoming scratch.

Sneasel's eyes and mouth widened as Vivillon used this opportunity to deliver a roundhouse to her back, the cat flying forward. However, she still had enough focus to prevent herself from taking damage from the mat.

But just as she was about to do so, the crowd gasped as Klinklang pried the gears with spheres in them away from his main one and exclaimed, "GEAR GRIND!" hurling them toward the cat like boomerangs.

Before Sneasel could even find out what was going on, they flew close enough to press up against her back and tummy respectively. They then remained in that exact spot and continued to spin, scraping the parts they were pressed up against as blood flew out, the cat crying out in pain.

"And just as Sneasel was about to make a safe landing, Klinklang catches her off-guard with a move that truly defies the laws of gravity!" Nori exclaimed as Klinklang explained, "Actually, my ring emits a magnetic force that allows me to control my gears."

"WHAT THE HELL!?" Machop spat as Yuki said, "Well, it seems pointless to bring up the rules since, well, they've been broken quite a few times today anyway, but technically speaking, this is actually legal due to the fact that Klinklang has not entered the ring," the cyborg chuckling.

"As if that even matters at this point," Rinko groaned as Noboru and Hana watched with even more fear than before. Could Sneasel even get the advantage back?

Gigalith narrowed his eyelids as he could no longer sit back and watch this. He knew full-well that the damage Klinklang had dealt to him earlier was more than just luck, despite Sneasel saying otherwise, but right now, he could not allow that to eat away at him. If the cyborg was going to help his ally, the golem would do the same.

Luckily, it seemed that Vivillon and Klinklang did not notice as they were too focused on Sneasel. Soon enough, the gears moved away from her and returned to their owner as he grinned and said, "Alright, I've softened her up. Care to finish the job, my lady?"

Vivillon bowed her head and replied, "Gladly," before taking to the sky and aiming her legs toward the cat. But just as she started her descent, her eyes widened when a certain forearm made of stone rammed itself into her face, her forehead opening up as a small trickle of blood flew out.

Klinklang stared in shock as the butterfly flew back-first into the turnbuckle, the crowd going wild as Yuki exclaimed, "And just as all seems lost for Sneasel, Gigalith enters the ring and saves her!" the golem leaning down and holding out his hand.

The cat coughed up a bit of blood before regaining focus, a big grin on her face as she said, "Thanks. You're a lifesaver," the golem nodding and helping her up.

Klinklang hovered over the ropes and toward his ally, asking, "Are you alright?" Vivillon gritting her teeth and fuming as the retorted, "NO! I'M STEAMING MAD! HOW DARE THAT ABOMINATION OF NATURE RUIN MY BIG FINISH!?"

Klinklang took a deep breath and said, "Calm down. It was just one hit. Besides, we were already awesome fighting them by ourselves. Now that we're together, we can beat them even more easily."

Vivillon nodded with a wicked grin and replied, "Yeah, that's a good point," as Gigalith and Sneasel were ready to continue fighting, Machop breathing a sigh of relief and saying, "What I wouldn't give to have one match without a bunch of close calls."

Just as Klinklang and Vivillon were about to get the upper hand back, Gigalith and Sneasel had a plan of their own as the golem lifted the cat up like a football. She then placed her claws together as he threw her toward Klinklang, the cat spinning like a drill once more and shouting, "FELINE FOOTBALL DRILL!" her claws scraping up against his torso as he groaned in pain.

Before Vivillon could help her ally out, Gigalith ran over and took hold of her antennae, lifting her up before slamming her against the mat. The crowd cheered once more as the golem proceeded to leap into the air with his legs spread out, falling toward the down butterfly.

However, Klinklang would not allow this to work. Thus he ignored the pain dealt to him and took hold of Sneasel's legs with his right hand. The cat's eyes widened as he managed to force her away from him, flinging her head-first into the turnbuckle. Then just as Gigalith was about to land on Vivillon, the cyborg threw his arms out over her and caught the golem, using all his might to hold him up.

Seeing this, Vivillon sprang to her feet and moved out of the way as Gigalith swung his fist into Klinklang's face. But just like before, the cyborg ignored the pain and smirked, saying, "You may be strong enough to keep someone like Vivillon at bay, but as you can see, my body can handle whatever you dish out."

With that in mind, Klinklang shifted his hands so they were grabbing onto Gigalith's feet, pulling back thus causing the golem to fall as the back of his head hit the canvas. The crowd was once again worried as Klinklang proceeded to send a hard punch into his face, following it up with another.

Unfortunately, Sneasel was unable to help her partner out as Vivillon once again reflected the sun's rays off of her wings, blinding the cat temporarily. She then used the opportunity to ram her skull into her chest, Sneasel coughing up blood.

"Just as it looked like Gigalith and Sneasel finally had the upper hand, Klinklang and Vivillon respond with their own tactics," Yuki stated as Torchic groaned, "Dammit! They were on a roll!"

"They can still win!" Eiko squeaked, "You saw how they got out of that tight spot earlier! I'm sure this is just a minor setback, nothing more!"

"I really hope so," Rinko groaned, "They've been taking in far more damage throughout the match."

Unfortunately, it seemed as if Vivillon and Klinklang were the superior team as the cyborg once again forced Gigalith's head between the teeth of his lower gear. He then asked, "Hey, Vivillon, you ready for the ultimate finishing move?"

"Am I ever!?" the butterfly replied with a grin as she once again lifted Sneasel up by the shoulders, the cat too weak to fight back.

With that, Klinklang started spinning Gigalith around, setting him up for his Gear Catapult while Vivillon flew toward him while spinning, forming a big twister. The crowd was even more terrified than ever before as Klinklang released his hold. Vivillon followed suit as Sneasel flew toward the golem, still spinning as the villains shouted, "HURRICANE CATAPULT CRASH!"

But just as the two heroes were seconds away from colliding, Sneasel and Gigalith sported more serious looks, tired of all the torment they had received since the match began. With that in mind, both threw their arms back and liked them together, preventing their heads from making contact.

Vivillon stared in stunned silence, uttering, "What?" as Klinklang asked, "How?"

The crowd went wild as despite the massive difference in physical strength, Gigalith and Sneasel managed to stay airborne while spinning. And after a few seconds, they released their hold on one-another as each flew toward a different opponent.

Gigalith's feet soon collided with Klinklang's big gear while Sneasel's ran into Vivillon. The crowd cheered wildly as each felt incredible pain from this, and it would only get better as the two ex-villains wrapped their arms around their opponents' shoulders. They then leaned backward, lifting them up and sending their heads into the canvas.

"YEAH, THAT'S THE SNEASEL I KNOW!" Machop exclaimed with a big grin as Torchic breathed a sigh of relief, saying, "I knew there was no way Gigalith would fall that easily."

"While Klinklang had speed on his side against Gigalith while Vivillon had cunning and stealth over Sneasel, not even they were prepared for the combined efforts of these new heroes!" Yuki exclaimed as one audience member shouted, "GAGALITH AND SNEASEL ROCK!" another adding, "FINISH THEM OFF!"

Isamu nodded with a light smile as Eiko squealed, "OH MY GOD, THEY'RE SO COOL! I HOPE THEY DECIDE TO JOIN OUR GROUP!" the others nodding in agreement as Torchic said, "It might be awkward for Gigalith to join us in the club, but I'll gladly welcome him with open arms."

Klinklang and Vivillon tried to rise to their feet but were unable to as Sneasel leapt away from the butterfly, her ear feather glowing as she went down on all fours and raced toward her. Gigalith backed up from his cyborg opponent as well as the gem atop his head glowed and stretched forward, becoming a blade.

Vivillon saw Sneasel coming and took to the sky only for the cat to leap up toward her, shouting, "FEATHER SWORD!" her ear feather cutting the butterfly's side open as she cried out in pain, blood squirting out of that very spot.

Klinklang, on the other hand, had something else in mind as he threw his arms put, forcing his hands against Gigalith's shoulders. However, the golem refused to let this get him down as he used all of his might to advance forward. Klinklang's good eye widened as he could no longer hold him back, the cyborg taking the gem to his face.

At that moment, he coughed up a mix of oil and blood while his good eye became an X. He then fell hard on his back as all went silent, the crowd really hoping this was it.

The leader of the villains folded his arms as the blue-armed one said, "Just for the record, I am not carrying Klinklang out of the ring."

And sure enough, neither villain could move now as Yuki rang the bell, exclaiming, "And after a very, very close match, our new heroes, Sneasel and Gigalith, have won!" the crowd breaking out into heavy cheers and applause.

Machop breathed a sigh of relief, saying, "I knew they could do it," Torchic nodding with a grin as Eiko wiped sweat off of her forehead.

Isamu's cage vibrated briefly, but he knew the villains would not release him yet. There was still one match to go, but at the very least, the leader's plan to weaken Machop and Torchic beforehand had failed. Thus the two could fight him and his blue-armed partner at full strength.

Sneasel rose her arms in the air along with Gigalith and said, "You know, being loved actually feels good. I guess we don't have to take over the world to earn its support."

The golem nodded, giving her a thumb up while Machop and Torchic raced toward the ring to congratulate the two. They also intended to invite them to stay in Tokyo and help them fight evil. After all, it was pretty clear that the two had been released from prison, even if it was really early for such a thing to happen.

However, after they made the offer, Sneasel let out a sigh and replied, "That does sound great, but we can't accept your offer."

"Why not?" Torchic asked, Machop uttering, "You didn't break out of prison, did you?"

"Oh no, Beedrill changed our sentence to community service," Sneasel explained as Gigalith nodded, holding up a sign that said 'We have surveillance cameras watching our every move.'

"So you have no reason to go back to prison," Machop replied as Sneasel nodded and explained, "The truth is, well, we feel that Tokyo is in really good hands with you. After all, you put us in our place. As such, we figured we'd look around until we found a place that really needs our help, you know, somewhere with less heroes."

Meloetta could hear this as she smiled bright and said, "I can tell they have a bright future ahead of themselves," Rinko nodding and folding her arms, saying, "I feel at ease knowing someone like Sneasel is now fighting for the side of good."

"Surely you can at least stick around for the final match, eh?" Machop asked as Sneasel sighed, "Actually, we'd rather start our search as soon as possible. Besides, we both know you and Torchic are gonna kick ass anyway."

"You'd better believe that!" Torchic replied with a grin as she pounded her clenched talon up against Gigalith's fist.

With all said and done, the cat and golem exited the ring and headed off to find a city that needed their protection. And while they did so, everyone waved at them, Noboru calling out, "Thanks for all your help!" Hana adding, "Stop by for a visit if you can!"

Once Sneasel and Gigalith were far from the area, the leader leapt into the ring and helped Klinklang out of it while the blue-armed figure carried Vivillon. But while the leader was upset to see all six of his allies fall, this also meant that he now had a reason to fight Machop. He did not care too much about Torchic. The former world champion's daughter seemed much more worthy of his time.

"I congratulate you for making it this far," the tan-skinned figure said, "I don't think I need to reveal who my partner and I will be facing in this next match."

Torchic nodded and said, "Yeah, wherever you decide to hold it, we'll be there within the hour."

"Good," the leader replied with a nod, "I figure since this is the final match, we may as well hold it here," pointing to the location of the Tokyo Dome as Torchic nodded and said, "Yeah, that seems fitting enough."

The remaining cloaked figures then proceeded to exit the area. And with six unconscious allies to look after, he could not have been more grateful for the helicopter. Now all he could hope was that he would win and they would not have to be sent to prison.

With all said and done, the heroes and their human friends headed to Noboru's truck, Eiko grinning and squealing, "Alright, Machop and Torchic are gonna save my big brother!" her mother and father feeling the same. If anything, these two seemed like the best heroes for this.

After roughly twenty minutes of driving, the group arrived at the Tokyo dome. Machop took a deep breath and bit her lower lip, Torchic giving her a toe up with a grin as she nodded. There was no way she would lose, not when Isamu's life was still on the line.

The group advanced forward, Machop looking at a big clock and noticing it was almost four o'clock but not quite. There was still a possibility that Lairon would not be there to give her advice, but this hardly mattered to her. She was fighting alongside Torchic and could still remember his teachings well enough. That was all the girl really needed.

All eight walked down a long hallway before reaching the field where a ring was set up. And much like before, the villains had arrived prior to them, the leader grinning under his cloak as he said, "Glad you could make it."

And much like before, many had already assembled as the bleachers were filled, only due to the Tokyo Dome having significantly more seats, the crowd was much bigger. Naturally, Yuki and Nori were there as well, more than ready to start announcing the final match of the day.

Machop frowned as the tan-skinned leader said, "You know what? While my initial plan may have failed, I'm actually kind of glad you managed to make it this far. Now, not only do I get to face the heir to the Mach family, but I get to face her at full strength. That'll make victory so much more satisfying."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Machop retorted with a sigh, "Before we start this thing, I wanna know exactly what you look like under those cloaks. That way when I prepare for the match, I'll be able to think about wiping the floor with your faces."

The leader shrugged and replied, "Why not? I think we've left the people in suspense long enough."

His blue-armed partner nodded and added, "Yeah, let's show the world that our families are not to be taken lightly anymore," the duo pulling off their cloaks and tossing them to the side.

No one could believe what they just saw. While no one in Tokyo knew exactly who these two were, they could tell just from their appearances who they were related to.

The leader's skin was rocky as he sported a karate gi. He had a fairly muscular build and a uni-brow shaped like a W.

His ally was a light-blue seahorse with a yellow belly. He had two spines atop his head that resembled pieces of coral and white fins under his cheeks. He also had a bigger fin on his back with edges that resembled coral as well. To top it off, he also had a nice set of beefy arms and legs, flexing his muscles with a smile on his hose-like mouth.

"I can't believe what I'm seeing, folks!" Nori exclaimed, "If my assumption is correct, standing before us in this very ring could very well be members of the Arte and Oceanhorse families!"

"You are correct," the leader said with his arms folded, "I am Marshal, son of Sawk!" the crowd truly astounded as the seahorse added, "And I am Kingdra, the great, great, great, great grandson of Horsea!"

This was truly amazing. Horsea was infamous for being the first villain to ever fall to the might of a hero while Sawk along with his brother, Throh, were well known as the powerful twin brothers who would always team up to fight any evil that threatened Osaka. If anything, Marshal being on the side of evil made no sense to anyone.

After a few seconds, Eiko's eyes sparkled as she squealed, "I just got it! Marshal's last name is Arte, as in Marshal Arte!" all going silent as Machop sighed, "That name makes him seem slightly less threatening."

"That is but a minor annoyance to me," Marshal replied, "All that matters is that we have a match to begin. However, since I want this, the final match, to be a bigger spectacle than the others, I will allow you two twenty minutes to prepare yourselves."

Torchic nodded and replied, "Thank you," before signalling Machop to follow her, Marshal watching them head to the back while thinking, 'I hope you're watching this on TV, Father. With this one tag team match, I'm going to do something more impressive than you ever pulled off in your entire career.'


	33. Chapter 33

This was it. In twenty minutes, Machop and Torchic would face the villainous team of Marshal and Kingdra. There was no way they could afford to lose. Not only was Tokyo at stake, but if they failed, Isamu would die. No one wanted that.

Currently, the two were setting up for an entrance as Torchic grinned, saying, "I'm surprised you actually wanna go through with this. You know neither Lairon nor Garchomp are here to make you do it, right?"

"Yeah, I know," Machop replied, "But these entrances do help to relieve stress. If anything, it just makes sense to do it, you know?"

She then grinned and said, "But we're gonna kick so much ass. I heard Grandpa and your grandma worked together to win the first Ultimate World Team Tournament."

"Yeah," Torchic replied, "And our folks were set to team up for the final match of the second team tournament. If Mother hadn't been injured prior to the match, it would have happened."

Machop nodded and said, "Yeah, we'll be this generation's Raging Bulls. The New Raging Bulls. At least that's the team name Daddy wanted," Torchic nodding and saying, "Works for me."

All the while, the others waited amongst the crowd as Eiko uttered, "You know, I just want this to start already," Hana nodding and sighing, "I can't stand to see my son in that cage any longer. I really hope Machop and Torchic can do this."

"Hey, if there's a duo I know is capable of this, it's them," Rinko replied with a grin, "They have the best track record of all of us, each with only one loss on her record," Venipede nodding and adding, "And don't forget, Torchic was under heavy injury when she suffered her first."

Meloetta bit her lower lip upon hearing that as the lovers turned to her and laughed nervously. After all, she was the one who contributed to that very loss.

"Alright, folks, this is it!" Nori exclaimed, "It's finally time for the final match to decide Tokyo's fate! Our heroes have done a good job so far, but can they end this once and for all or will these last two villains prove too much!?"

The crowd was even more excited as Yuki exclaimed, "In the red corner, one is the son of Osaka's former protectors and the other is a descendant of the first villain to ever fall to the hands of a hero! Presenting Marshal and Kingdra!" the crowd booing the two as they approached the ring with their arms folded. Both wished to be taken completely seriously and thus they refused to go with an elaborate entrance.

Once they entered the ring, Nori stated, "And in the blue corner, the two heroes with the greatest track record here in Tokyo! One is the daughter of the former world champion and the other is the new Texas Phoenix! Many years ago, their grandparents teamed up in a tag team tournament, so seeing them together is like a dream come true! Everyone, give a warm welcome to Machop and Torchic!"

The crowd stared in confusion as the two approached the ring with Machop standing atop Torchic's shoulders with her arms spread out. The strange thing was that each hero had tribal markings on her face and a neutral look. It soon became clear that for whatever reason, the two were posing as a totem pole.

When they got close to the ring, they leapt high into the air and started spinning like a twister. Unfortunately, since Torchic had no arms to hold onto Machop with, the girl wound up separating from her as she spun sideways into the mat.

The crowd broke out into hysterics as Torchic landed perfectly on her feet, looking down at her partner and asking, "Uh, you okay?" Machop gritting her teeth and growling, "Dammit, I thought for sure that would work."

Meloetta chuckled and said, "It was a good idea," Rinko sighing, "The spinning part was cool, I guess."

Marshal frowned and folded his arms, thinking, 'So you don't take me seriously. I'm going to enjoy covering the canvas in your blood,' before noticing Kingdra holding his sides and laughing, shouting, "Oh my god! I've heard members of the Mach family are funny, but I didn't believe it until now!"

"Focus," Marshal retorted as the seahorse let out a sigh and groaned, "Get a sense of humour."

The tan boy gritted his teeth and thought, 'A sense of humour. My father had a sense of humour and so did my uncle. I never want to be like them.'

"Well, folks, this is it," Yuki stated, "Once each team picks a member to go first, we can begin."

"Hold it," Marshal replied as the younger announcer blinked, the tan boy adding, "First, I'm gonna change the rules a bit for this match," Machop blinking as Torchic remarked, "Let me guess. You're gonna forbid certain moves and then use them yourself, right?"

"What? No!" Marshal retorted, "If I did that, my victory wouldn't feel earned. No, I got to thinking, and you brought up a very good point, Machop."

"I did?" the girl asked as Marshal nodded and replied, "Yes. It does seem weird to have these be a series of tag team matches when in all three, the 'one fighter in the ring at a time' rule was broken at least once. As such, I will make the rules more similar to that of the Ultimate World Team Tournament."

"Oh, can I fill them in on this?" Nori asked, "I announced that event!" Kingdra staring awkwardly at her as Marshal tapped his chin, nodded and replied, "Okay, why not?"

"See, during that very tournament, the first five minutes involved the fighters following the traditional tag team rules," Nori explained, "But once those minutes were up, it would become a tornado tag match, meaning all four fighters could be in the ring at once. But if one teammate were to lose before that time was up, that would count as a victory for the other team."

"Okay, I can get behind that," Machop said with a nod as the rest of the crowd understood, Venipede saying, "So that way, by the time everyone enters the ring at once, it'll be legal."

Torchic then grinned and asked, "For now, would you like to go first?" as Machop nodded with a more serious look and replied, "Yeah. I don't know why, but I really want a crack at this Marshal," the girl cracking her knuckles.

While she took her job of protecting the innocent seriously before, something about Isamu's life being on the line really got under her skin. It made her want to fight even harder than ever before, and when the boy saw the passion in her eyes from up high, a light smile formed as he gave her a thumb up.

'Come on, Machop,' he thought, 'Show me those miracles that made me a fan of these matches.'

With that, Torchic ducked under the ropes and stood next to the ring as Kingdra turned to Marshal and asked, "Would you like to go first, sir?"

The tan boy nodded and replied, "Of course," clenching his fists and thinking, 'I'm gonna show you how a real fighting type does it, Machop. Just you wait. Voltorb's victory over you was a fluke. Mine will be remembered forever.'

Once Kingdra climbed over the rope, Machop and Marshal distanced themselves from one-another as Nori exclaimed, "Enough stalling! Let's get this match started!" ringing the bell as the two fighters struck defensive stances, staring each other down.

After a few seconds, Marshal rushed at Machop as the girl was ready to counter. But before she could do so, the tan boy took hold of her wrists and crossed them, grunting, "Don't think for a minute that you can catch me off-guard! I've seen enough of your matches to know that you always try to start them by lulling your opponent into a false sense of security! That's not gonna work on me!"

"This is certainly surprising!" Nori exclaimed as Yuki asked, "Why, Mom?" the older woman explaining, "You see, Sawk was well-known for his more direct combat approach. He always relied on punches, karate chops and kicks, but he was never really able to handle using more advanced techniques. I figured his son would likely be taught his way of fighting."

'That's because I'm not like my father,' Marshal thought as he applied enough force to flip Machop over, her eyes wide open as he released his hold on her wrists and grabbed onto her ankles, slamming her head into the mat.

The crowd gasped as Nori exclaimed, "NEVER IN MY LIFE HAVE I EVER SEEN A SLAM MOVE LIKE THAT!" Marshal allowing Machop to collapse before walking next to her. He then held his elbow out and allowed himself to fall sideways, planting it into the girl's gut.

It did not end there as he lifted Machop up and wrapped one arm around her neck, using his free hand to shift her head sideways, Yuki saying, "And just like that, Marshal has already set Machop up for a sleeper hold."

Everyone stared as Eiko groaned, "Oh no! Come on, Machop, you're so much better than this!"

"Well, it's still early in the match," Rinko replied with a shrug, "If I know Machop, she'll be able to get out of this," Noboru nodding and saying, "Yeah, I've seen her get out of worse than this. She can do it," nervous sweat running down his face.

Torchic stared with concern, wishing she could just jump in the ring and help her friend right now as Nori said, "Now I'm even more confused. First he uses a move that Throh would use and then he uses something more similar to Sawk. As for this, well, those two never used submission holds."

"That's why my father and uncle were overrated hacks!" Marshal snapped as everyone gasped, the boy growling, "You wanna know why I don't follow the path of good like them!? It's because it's embarrassing to be associated with those two! I keep hearing that they were the top of the class in their semester on Hero Planet, outdoing the likes of Machoke and Blaziken, showing the most promise of any of their graduates! But honestly, I can't help but think whoever gave them that title didn't have his head on straight!"

"What's he talking about?" Venipede asked as Eiko groaned, "I think I know exactly what he means. The thing is, I've watched old recordings of their matches out of curiosity, and they didn't seem that special."

Kingdra folded his arms and nodded, saying, "It seems that human girl has some common sense in her head after all," Marshal nodding and growling, "The only opponents my father and Uncle Throh ever defeated on Earth were weaklings! Meanwhile, whenever they went up against real opponents, they wouldn't just lose! They would lose easily!"

Yuki turned to face Nori as the older woman sighed, "I hate to say it, but they have a point. When Throh and Sawk went up against Onix and Bisharp, things started in their favour, but the minute Sawk took in a hit from Onix, they were practically sitting ducks. Then they went up against Hitmonlee and Hitmonchan on a train and, while this was never recorded, it was said that they weren't much of a challenge for the siblings. There's also been stories of how they lost to Aegislash and Blitzle without even landing a single hit on them, and when they fought Kecleon and Octillery in the Ultimate World Team Tournament, they put up a decent fight but also lasted the shortest of any of the teams in the first round."

The young members of the crowd were surprised to hear this as Marshal said, "That's right, they were losers, and the reason for that was because they each only stuck to one fighting style, making them extremely predictable! That's why I took it upon myself to learn every type of move out there! I'm gonna make sure the whole world remembers the name, Arte!"

Just as it looked like Machop was about to suffocate, it seemed Marshal had more planned as he leapt high into the air, leaning sideways and shouting, "SLEEPER HOLD SUPLEX!" planting the side of Machop's head against the canvas and releasing his hold on her, allowing her to collapse.

The crowd stared in horror as Yuki exclaimed, "And Marshal does the unthinkable by combining a sleeper hold with a side suplex! He certainly wasn't blowing smoke when he boasted about his superior skills! We're only a little over a minute into the match and he's already dominating!"

Machop's body twitched as she slowly pushed herself back up, Isamu watching with concern and uttering, "Come on, Machop, please tell me you're okay," the girl taking many deep breaths and trying her hardest not to let the pain get to her. And yet while she had not taken in a lot of hits yet, that suplex really hurt. Having her head slammed against the mat was one thing, but the added pressure applied to her neck at the same time made the pain much worse.

Torchic stared with concern and uttered, "Do you want to tag out?" Machop shaking her head and growling, "No, someone needs to put this guy in his place. Seriously, if all you wanna do is upstage your daddy, why don't you do it by defeating more villains than he did!?"

Marshal let out a sigh and groaned, "I knew you wouldn't understand," before leaping toward her with his legs pointed outward.

Machop waited until he was close enough before grabbing onto his legs. But just as she was about to counter, Marshal latched his ankles onto her neck and pulled back, slamming her chin against the canvas. He then used his feet to flip her onto her back, binding the remaining portions of his legs around her neck for a figure-four headlock.

The crowd watched in horror as Yuki stated, "And Machop continues to take in punishment as she just seems unable to fight back against this martial arts master. It's just as he said. Unlike his father and uncle, Marshal has mastered every type of ability there is, making him a very tough contender to say the least."

Machop gritted her teeth as she knew she could at least get out of this. Thus she shifted her head sideways, soon spinning her entire body and prying her head out of the hold. For the first time, Marshal was shocked as the girl took hold of his legs, lifting him up briefly before releasing her hold and allowing him to fall toward her. Once he was close enough, she placed a firm grip against his thighs and drove his back into the mat with a powerbomb.

The crowd went wild as Nori exclaimed, "And after taking in one punishing move after the next, Machop finally manages to escape from one of them and counters with a powerbomb!" Isamu breathing a sigh of relief and thinking, 'I knew that couldn't possibly be enough to stop her.'

"That's the Machop I know!" Eiko squealed with a big grin, Noboru and Hana applauding her, hoping she could keep this up.

Meloetta also breathed a sigh of relief, saying, "I had a feeling Machop wouldn't fall so easily, not after the way she defeated Tentacruel," Rinko and Venipede nodding with big smiles on their faces.

Unfortunately, this was far from enough as Marshal planted his hands against the mat, flipping himself back to his feet with ease. He then held up his hands defensively and said, "I have to admit, I'm actually kind of impressed. It's not easy to get out of a hold like that, but don't think for a minute that's gonna be enough to stop me."

"Hey, man, you're doing an awesome job, but can you not hog all the action for yourself?" Kingdra asked, "As fun as it is watching you beat the shit out of her, I kinda want in on some of the action. After all, I need to restore glory to my family as well!"

Marshal took a deep breath and replied, "Alright. Give her Hell, but let me have the finishing blow if you get that far."

With that, the martial artist ran over to his side of the ring and tagged in Kingdra, the seahorse leaping over the ropes while Yuki said, "And Kingdra has now taken Marshal's place. Let's see just what kind of abilities he has in store."

Torchic grinned and asked, "Can you keep going?" Machop nodding and replying, "Yeah. I'm feeling much more confident now."

Kingdra folded his arms and thought, 'You won't be feeling so confident when you see what I can dish out,' before uncurling his tail and standing on top of it.

Everyone stared as Machop uttered, "What are you doing?" as the seahorse leaned his tail backward before launching himself toward her with his arm out.

Machop easily saw this coming as she leaned backward, Kingdra flying over her as his eyes widened. The girl then lifted up her arms just in time to latch onto his ankles, leaning back even further and planting his skull into the mat.

The crowd went wild as Yuki exclaimed, "And Machop is on fire now! After a bad start, it seems that escaping from that headlock has given her the upper hand! Let's see if she can keep it up, folks!"

'She won't,' Kingdra thought as he placed his hands firmly against the mat, pushing himself up before shouting, "SEA DRAGON HOSE!" releasing a burst of water from his mouth.

Machop's eyes widened as she took the water to her forehead. However, the crowd was shocked when not only did this knock her on her back, it also put a small hole on her forehead, blood flying out. To make matters worse, Kingdra had even more planned as he turned himself around, shouting, "SEA DRAGON HOOK!"

With that, he sent more water into the air thus rocketing himself toward the girl with his arm out. And before Machop could even respond, she took the arm to her neck, coughing up more blood as the crowd stared in horror.

"And just as it seemed the heroes finally had the advantage, Kingdra pulls off two incredible feats using his hose-like mouth like a water gun," Yuki stated before asking, "Though how exactly did water cause Machop to bleed?"

"I can answer that," Kingdra explained with his arms folded, "You see, when water shoots out of my mouth, it comes up in a really thin stream that contains so much water, it can dent metal. And considering that it can do that much to something as hard as, well, metal, one can only imagine what it can do to flesh."

Machop struggled to rise back to her feet, fear in her eyes as Torchic held out her talon, exclaiming, "Alright, Machop, you've done enough! I think it's high time I take over!"

Machop felt as if she should have at least been able to do more before tagging out, but right now, she was unprepared to continue this match. And with a little more than two minutes to go before the tornado tag portion, she would need to get some good rest in. As such, she figured this was the best course of action as she sprinted toward the chicken.

"I don't think so!" Kingdra exclaimed as he leapt toward her. However, the girl refused to let herself take in another hit as she sent a roundhouse into his gut, his eyes widening as he flew back a bit, landing on his feet and rubbing the spot.

With the seahorse distracted, Machop tagged in Torchic and said, "Kick his ass," the chicken grinning and replying, "You'd better believe I will," before leaping over the ropes and into the ring, the crowd cheering as Yuki said, "And Torchic takes to the ring! Let's see if she can bring the advantage back!"

Isamu took a deep breath and thought, 'It's okay. I'm sure once the two start working together, they can do much better. I just hope Torchic can keep Kingdra at bay long enough.'

"YEAH, SHOW HIM THE POWER OF THE TORCH FAMILY!" Eiko squealed as Rinko said, "Yeah, I just know you're gonna kick so much ass."

Torchic grinned and gave her friend a toe up as Kingdra folded his arms, sighing, "I was hoping I'd get to face Machop some more, but I guess you'll do. Your family does have a stellar reputation, after all."

But just as he was about to ready an attack, Torchic was already on the offensive as she sprinted toward Kingdra. Seeing her moving so quickly, he unleashed a string of water from his mouth as he exclaimed, "SEA DRAGON HOSE!"

Torchic had seen this coming as she leapt over it, lighting her talons on fire and sending them hard into the seahorse's face, shouting, "BLAZE KICK!"

The crowd cheered as Kingdra fell on his back, Torchic using this chance to wrap her legs around his right one. She then started to twist it while biting into the tip of his foot, the seahorse crying out in pain while the cheering got louder.

"And there's that famous family submission hold!" Nori exclaimed, "It seems Torchic is fully intent on keeping Kingdra at bay as she's not holding back in the slightest!"

Seeing this, Machop grinned and squealed, "YEAH! YOU ROCK, TORCHIC!" the others applauding and giving her their own words of encouragement. Even Isamu could not help but smile, feeling confident that the New Raging Bulls could win this.

However, Marshal refused to accept this as he grunted, "Are you really going to take that, Kingdra? I thought you were better than this!" the seahorse's eyes widening as he added, "You started off so well, but now you're letting a fire type whale on you. You're a creature of the sea and she uses an element that can be doused by that! Are you really going to let her win so easily!?"

"No," Kingdra replied with a wicked smile, "No I won't."

With that, he tilted his head forward, pointing his mouth at Torchic's forehead as Machop snapped, "TORCHIC, LET GO OF HIM!" the chicken seeing exactly what she meant as she released her hold and leapt into the air.

Unfortunately, Kingdra was ready for this as he lifted himself up for a handstand, propelling himself to Torchic's level. He then latched his legs onto her waist and flipped her upside-down, placing a firm grip on her ankles and driving her skull into the canvas.

The crowd gasped as Yuki said, "And just as it looked like Torchic had this in the bag, Kingdra lulls her into a false sense of security with a fake-out, setting her up for a piledriver."

The crowd along with Torchic's friends stared in horror as Kingdra walked over to Marshal, asking, "You want a shot at her?" the tan boy nodding and saying, "Gladly," giving his partner a high five and taking his place.

Needless to say, panic spread throughout the area now. Could Torchic get the advantage back and at least keep Marshal busy until the tornado tag portion started or was she doomed to succumb to the same torment Machop had suffered at first?


	34. Chapter 34

It was strange that Kingdra would switch with Marshal after having gained the advantage back for the team, but either way, Torchic was still in trouble. The piledriver dealt earlier seemed to take quite a toll on her as she had trouble getting back up. Thus Marshal wasted no time climbing onto the turnbuckle and leaping off of it, tucking himself into a ball and spinning vertically toward the chicken.

"HEY, TORCHIC, LOOK OUT!" Machop squeaked, but it was too late as Marshal exclaimed, "FALLING ROCK!" retracting from his ball-like state and landing on Torchic's gut as she coughed up a bit of blood.

"Despite the simple setup, that looked a lot more effective than it should have been!" Yuki exclaimed as Nori nodded and explained, "It's because Marshal built up momentum when he spun toward her. That allowed him to descend more quickly, adding to the pressure."

Now the chicken was having even more trouble getting back up as Marshal continued to sit on her, cupping his hands together and raising them above his head. And before anyone could even respond, he sent them crashing down on Torchic's face, shouting, "BRICK BREAK!"

This ended up putting a light cut in Torchic's forehead as her eyes and beak were wide open, Nori exclaiming, "And Marshal has just unleashed Sawk's strongest technique, only that looked even more powerful than when the blue fighter used it back in the day!"

"That's because I'm much stronger than my father ever was!" Marshal retorted with fire in his eyes, "I've been working my fullest to surpass him and I just know I've achieved that!"

With that in mind, he proceeded to cup his hands together once more, adding, "And this last hit will end this match for good! As much as I would have loved to defeat Machop, taking down a member of the Torch family will be satisfying enough!"

"NO, TORCHIC!" Machop cried as the others started to cheer her on, hoping this would help as Marshal sent his hands toward her once more, shouting, "BRICK BREAK!"

But just as the hands were less than a second away from hitting their mark, Torchic put on a more serious look as her beak caught flame. Thus she shifted her head as far forward as she could, ramming that very spot into Marshal's hands.

All went silent as even Kingdra and Marshal were in shock. This last-ditch effort was just enough to stop Torchic from taking in the attack as the tan boy's hands started to burn. Thus he winced in pain and reeled them back, trying to shake off the pain before blowing on them.

"If you can't handle fire, you shouldn't pick fights with someone like me," Torchic said with a smirk before swinging her right leg up and sending it her toes into Marshal's back.

This distracted the tan boy just long enough for Torchic to throw her head forward, her beak once again engulfed in flame as she spat, "FIRE PECK!" sending it into his midsection.

The crowd cheered as Marshal rose to his feet and backed up, clutching onto the very spot and wincing in pain. Kingdra stared at this and asked, "Are you okay? I thought you could handle anything," Marshal sighing, "You're right. This is nothing to me."

With that in mind, he took a deep breath and added, "Though just to be on the safe side, I could use a little rain," the others staring in confusion as Rinko looked up and uttered, "Hate to disappoint you, but there are no clouds in the sky right now."

However, Kingdra seemed to know what he meant as he tilted his head up, unleashing a blast of water from his mouth, only this one was more spread out than the ones used earlier. As a result, it separated into smaller droplets that rained down upon Marshal, the tan boy folding his legs and sporting a meditative state, his burns starting to heal.

Torchic would have taken full advantage of this, but this just came off as too weird as all she could do was watch. Even Machop found this strange as she uttered, "What am I watching?"

Even the crowd was unsure of this as Venipede said, "Okay, he's not bathing under a waterfall. Is this really necessary?" as Meloetta uttered, "Well, it is recommended that burns be treated immediately after you get one."

Hana nodded and replied, "Can't argue with that," as Noboru said, "I guess even villains care about health every now and then."

Suddenly, Torchic realized she really should have taken advantage of this already. As such, she leapt toward the tan boy with her feet aimed at his chest. Unfortunately, since she had spent so long watching him, he felt more than ready as Kingdra ended his shower. Thus when Torchic was close enough, Marshal threw his arms out and took hold of her ankles.

The chicken's eyes widened as he tucked her talons under his armpits, jumping into the air before spreading his legs forward. While he fell, he swung Torchic downward, planting the back of her head into the canvas as the crowd winced.

"And just as quickly as Torchic's advantage came, it leaves as Marshal counters her flying kick with a powerbomb," Yuki said as the chicken still had enough strength to roll backwards away from him.

Luckily, it seemed like things could very well change as Yuki rang the bell, exclaiming, "And five minutes are up, folks! That means the tornado tag portion has finally begun!" the crowd cheering as Machop climbed over the ropes, asking, "You okay, Torchic?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine," the chicken replied with a smirk, "You know I can handle that," Kingdra joining Marshal and saying, "You know, there's no shame in being sensitive to burns. It's a common thing."

"I know, but if I'm gonna outdo Father, I need to be able to resist anything," Marshal replied with a sigh, "That was just a minor setback, but at least now we can finally fight as one. Those two think that this switch to a tornado tag match will increase their chances, but they're dead wrong."

"This is gonna be so awesome!" Eiko squealed with a big grin, "We're gonna see Machop and Torchic combine their powers! I can't wait to see what they have in store!"

"Me neither," Venipede replied, "Their grandparents were once in a team match and from what I can gather, they came up with all kinds of team moves. I wonder if they can pull those off, too."

Before either hero could try anything, it seemed Marshal and Kingdra would not give them the chance. As such, the seahorse turned his back to the tan boy and locked his arms around his shoulders, unleashing a burst of water thus propelling the two forward.

Before Machop and Torchic could respond, Marshal spread his arms out as he and Kingdra exclaimed, "ROCKET HOOK!" the tan boy's arms hitting the heroes hard in the neck. The crowd gasped as both girls coughed up blood, Marshal wrapping his arms around the same spots he had hit before they could fall on their backs.

The crowd was in even more panic when Kingdra pointed his mouth toward the mat, unleashing another burst of water as he and Marshal flew above the ring. Once high enough, Kingdra pointed his mouth forward and used more water to flip the tan boy and his victims one-hundred-and-eighty degrees, their heads now facing the mat.

Kingdra then proceeded to point his mouth toward the sky as he and Marshal shouted, "DOUBLE SEA DRAGON ROCKET!" the seahorse letting loose one last burst of water as he and his partner descended toward the mat at a rapid pace.

Machop and Torchic's eyes and mouth were wide open as their skulls hit the canvas hard, the duo coughing up blood as Marshal released his hold, allowing them to pass out. Nori stared in stunned silence as Yuki uttered, "And by combining Marshal Arte's, well, martial arts with Kingdra's jet-like water streams, the two have managed to knock Machop and Torchic out with a rather complicated yet very effective finisher. This might be it, folks."

The crowd was more terrified than they had been during any of the matches up to this point. What if Yuki was right? What if this was more than enough to end the match once and for all?

"I'll admit, I'm actually a tad disappointed," Marshal said with a sigh, Kingdra nodding and replying, "Yeah. I was expecting a lot more of a challenge, yet they really didn't put up that much of a fight. If anything, Torchic was the one doing most of the work, and none of her moves are really that special."

"NO!" Eiko cried out at the top of her lungs, "YOU CAN'T LOSE! COME ON! YOU'VE BOTH TAKEN IN FAR WORSE THAN THIS AND WERE STILL ABLE TO GET UP! ARE YOU REALLY GOING TO LET A SIMPLE SLAM KNOCK YOU DOWN!?"

Noboru nodded and barked, "Come on, Machop! Your friends managed to save my daughter! I know you can do this for my son as well, so don't you dare let that be enough!" tears welling up in Hana's eyes as she sniffed, "I know it's a lot to ask, but we need you!"

The others joined in until one member of the crowd pumped his fist into the air, chanting, "MACHOP! TORCHIC!" many others joining in and repeating their names in the loudest voices they could muster.

Soon enough, Machop and Torchic's friends joined in, the entire Tokyo Dome filled with people shouting, "MACHOP! TORCHIC!" repeatedly. Marshal took a deep breath and folded his arms, Kingdra groaning, "God, this is just irritating. Shut up!"

"It's fine," Marshal remarked, "Let them cheer all they want. It's not going to make a difference."

However, his and Kingdra's eyes widened when they noticed their downed opponents twitching. But before the villains could respond to this, both heroes regained just enough consciousness as Machop threw her arms out, latching onto Marshal's ankles. And before Kingdra knew it, Torchic had done the same to him, only she used her talons as she had no arms to do what Machop had.

Before the villains could even attempt a counter, both heroes pulled back thus forcing them to fall on their backs. But it did not end there as Torchic applied extra force to Kingdra's ankles, folding them together for a figure-four leg lock.

Since Machop's legs were not close enough for her to pull that off, she rose to her feet and lifted up Marshal before he could respond. The crowd went wild as she leaned backward, planting the tan boy's face hard against the canvas.

"It truly seemed like it was the end, but Machop and Torchic have made a shocking recovery!" Yuki exclaimed as Nori added, "Right now, Torchic has Kingdra locked in a figure-four leg lock while Machop has just hit Marshal with a move I've never seen before."

Kingdra used all his might to flip himself over, but Torchic refused to let his squirming allow him to escape from her hold. Thus she turned her body with him, both fighters soon on their bellies.

Unfortunately, it seemed Kingdra had more in mind than trying to escape from the figure-four leg lock as he pointed his mouth toward the mat. Luckily, Torchic saw this coming as she released her hold on his ankles.

The seahorse failed to notice this as he used his water to propel himself high above the ring, turning his head around only for his eyes to widen when he noticed the chicken was no longer attached to him. And of course, Torchic would not let such a great opportunity go as she leapt atop the ropes, propelling herself up to his level.

All the while, Marshal tried his best to recover only for Machop to fly toward him with her arm out, shouting, "MOON HOOK!" hitting the tan boy hard in the neck as he coughed up a bit of blood, falling on his back.

Once Torchic was high enough, her talons caught flame as she exclaimed, "BLAZE KICK ANVIL!" Kingdra's eyes wide with terror as she planted said parts into his back, sending him crashing down into the canvas.

A bit of blood escaped from the seahorse's hose-like mouth as the crowd cheered wildly, Eiko clapping and squealing, "I KNEW THEY COULD DO IT!" Isamu taking a deep breath and sighing, "Sometimes I wish they'd stop cutting it so close."

The cheering suddenly came to a halt when Marshal and Kingdra slowly rose to their feet, breathing heavily and glaring at their opponents. The tan boy shifted his head back and forth, growling, "Don't think for a minute that you've won! This is a minor setback, nothing else!"

However, Machop and Torchic were not the least bit intimidated. Both had expected this and were ready as the girl took hold of the chicken's shoulders, lifting her up and swinging her around. The crowd watched as Torchic's talons caught flame, Kingdra shouting, "I DON'T THINK SO!"

Machop released her hold on Torchic, allowing her to fly toward the seahorse as he shot a burst of water from his mouth, steam rising up from the chicken's feet. However, this was shockingly not enough to put out the flames as she and Machop exclaimed, "ROARING PHOENIX!" the flames forming a phoenix head.

Before Kingdra could even figure out what was going on, he took the blow to his chest and coughed up a bit more blood as Marshal growled and latched his arms around Torchic's neck. But just as he was about to do more, Machop leapt at him and sent a flying kick into his back, causing him to release his hold.

The crowd went wild as Machop grinned, saying, "Mama taught me all about that Roaring Phoenix move," as she wrapped her arms around Marshal, lifting him up and leaning backward.

Seconds before his head could make contact with the mat, Torchic leapt high above Machop and planted her talons into his chin. This sped up his descent as his skull hit the canvas hard, the tan boy coughing up blood of his own.

The crowd went wild as Machop grinned, saying, "Unfortunately, most of the team moves our grandparents used back in the day involved both teammates having arms. But since Torchic doesn't have those, we thought up some other team moves that could work around her handicap."

"Wow, that was awesome!" Eiko squealed as Rinko nodded and said, "Leave it to those two to bounce right back with something even more impressive."

Marshal and Kingdra rose to their feet, breathing heavily with looks of anger and irritation on their faces. Even with all of these skills, these two heroes still managed to get the upper hand back. They had taken in far more torment up to this point yet with how well they were fighting, it was as if all the damage dealt to them earlier meant nothing.

"Alright, Kingdra, I think this has gone on long enough," Marshal growled with his fists clenched, "Let's end this," the seahorse nodding and saying, "Yes, honour will be restored to my family and yours will finally have the reputation it deserves. It's perfect."

With that in mind, Marshal spread his arms out, signalling Kingdra to bind himself to his back once more. And thus the seahorse did just that as Machop and Torchic readied themselves, Nori exclaiming, "And once again, it seems as if Marshal plans to use Kingdra like a jet pack! Let's see if Tokyo's heroes fall victim to this tactic again!"

Like before, Kingdra unleashed a burst of water from his mouth thus allowing Marshal to fly toward Torchic and Machop. But just as they were expecting him to try his double clothesline again, it seemed the tan boy had something else in mind as he lifted his lower body up, spreading out his legs in a splits formation.

Seeing this, Machop threw her arms out as one leg ran into them hard. Unfortunately, Torchic had no way to block this as she took the full blunt of the other leg to her gut, Marshal exclaiming, "ROCKET SPLITS!"

Thanks to the added speed, courtesy of Kingdra, Machop found herself unable to keep Marshal away from her as he ultimately overpowered her grip, forcing her hands into her as both she and Torchic were sent back-first into the ropes. The material stretched back as the crowd watched in horror, the rubber material coming open as now only wires could be seen on that section.

This not only added to the pain but also put small cuts on each hero's back, both crying out in pain as Yuki exclaimed, "And with such a simple tactic, Marshal has rendered Machop and Torchic helpless!"

Machop and Torchic's friends watched with helplessness, wishing they could come up with something. But right now, the one most concerned was Isamu. Even he was starting to wonder if Machop could get out of this situation.

Since the girl had not taken in as much pain as Torchic, though, she gritted her teeth and tried her best to ignore it. Thus she slowly latched her arms onto Marshal's leg in an attempt to end his assault, but this proved pointless as the ropes snapped open, all four fighters flying out of the ring as the girl and the chicken were sent back-first into the wall.

Both coughed up a great deal of blood as the crowd gasped, Yuki exclaiming, "And with that powerful splits kick, Marshal and Kingdra have sent the heroes far away from the ring!" Nori nodding and starting a twenty count.

Noboru and Hana stared with their eyes wide with terror. Rinko and Venipede hugged one-another and trembled, wondering if this really was the end. Meloetta bit her lower lip nervously as even Eiko and Isamu were having trouble staying positive.

With that, Marshal ended his assault, noticing that both Torchic and Machop had their eyes rolled to the backs of their heads as he grinned for the first time during the match. With that, Kingdra released his hold on his shoulders as the two backed up, the tan boy saying, "Well, it doesn't look like they'll be getting up any time soon. I guess all that's left is to head back to the ring. After all, if we stay out for twenty seconds, we'll lose by ring-out too."

"Right," Kingdra replied as he and Marshal turned around and headed back toward the ring. But just as they were about to enter and Nori reached eight, Machop and Torchic's bodies twitched as their eyes returned to their original spots, the two growling as the crowd cheered wildly.

Nori continued the count as Yuki exclaimed, "And just as all seemed lost, Machop and Torchic have made yet another shocking recovery!" Noboru and Hana smiling wide and embracing one-another, Eiko squealing with excitement.

"WHAT!?" Marshal grunted, his teeth gritted as his eye twitched. Even Kingdra was feeling beyond annoyed at this point as Machop grunted, "Something worth note is that you've never faced a member of either of our families before!"

With that in mind, both leapt up and placed their feet firmly against the wall before propelling themselves toward their opponents. Torchic's beak caught flame as she spat, "FIRE PECK!" ramming it hard into Marshal's back while Machop hit Kingdra with a fierce headbutt.

As a result, both villains flew into the side of the ring as Machop and Torchic leapt above them, landing against the canvas while the crowd went wild. Machop rose her fists in the air as Nori had reached fifteen seconds for the villains.

"YES!" Isamu exclaimed with a big smile, "I KNEW YOU COULD DO IT!" Eiko applauding them with a big smile as Noboru and Hana breathed simultaneous sighs of relief.

"Wow, they're so good at pulling off miracles," Meloetta said with her eyes sparkling, Rinko nodding and replying, "Yeah, Machop and Torchic really are something else."

However, just as Nori was about to count to nineteen, she stopped when Kingdra and Marshal recovered, placing their hands against the sides of the mat. The crowd stared in horror as both climbed back into the ring, taking many deep breaths and shooting daggers at the heroes.

"Just as it looked like the heroes of Tokyo had finally won, Marshal and Kingdra return to the ring for more!" Yuki exclaimed as Marshal took a deep breath, saying, "Now I can see why your families have such stellar reputations. No matter what happens, you just don't give up. But that doesn't matter, because we're still going to win this match."

Machop and Torchic readied themselves once more, though after the attack used on them earlier, they would need to be a lot more careful. After all, one more powerful hit could end it for them.


	35. Chapter 35

This was not looking good at all. Despite all of Torchic and Machop's best efforts, Marshal and Kingdra were still standing. And while the tan boy did have a burn on his back courtesy of Torchic, he was doing his absolute best to ignore it.

"Goddammit!" Rinko cursed, "They were so close!" Meloetta taking a deep breath and uttering, "They can still beat them. They'll just pull off another miracle, right?"

Venipede nodded and replied, "That would be ideal, and I can definitely see it happening, but you can never be too sure. It's not as if Machop can't lose. She has once before."

"True, but I doubt it'll happen again," Eiko said with confidence, "I know she and Torchic can win this. There's no doubt in my mind."

Marshal would make sure that would not happen. After having come so close to finishing them off, he would not allow them to win. With that in mind, he nodded at Kingdra and said, "It would seem our splits kick didn't quite finish the job, so let's set them up for an old friend, shall we?"

"Yeah," Kingdra replied with a light smile, "They may have survived this once, but there's no way they'll get up from it again."

With that, Kingdra once again turned around and wrapped his arms around Marshal's shoulders. The girls knew what was coming as Machop grunted, "Alright, we're ready this time," Torchic nodding.

Despite their words, the villains still felt confident as Kingdra unleashed a blast of water from his mouth, propelling Marshal toward the heroes while he spread his arms out. Machop and Torchic were just about to duck under the incoming arms only for the tan boy to see this coming, lowering them and shouting, "ROCKET HOOK!"

Just like last time, he managed to strike each hero on the neck with his arms, Machop and Torchic coughing up blood. The crowd gasped as it did not end there, Marshal placing a firm grip on the spots he had hit while Kingdra pointed his mouth toward the mat, using his water to propel him and his partner high into the air.

"It's looking bad, folks!" Yuki exclaimed, "Just as it seemed Machop and Torchic could finally end this, Marshal and Kingdra set them up for the Double Sea Dragon Rocket that dealt considerable pain to them earlier!"

But just as Marshal was about to flip himself and the three others attached to him upside-down, Machop gritted her teeth and grunted, "Alright, Torchic, follow my lead!" the chicken replying, "Right."

With that, both heroes started to twist their heads around as Marshal tightened his grip, grunting, "Don't think for a minute that you're going to escape from another one of these! You may have gotten out of my headlock earlier, but I won't let that happen again!"

He then flipped himself one-hundred-and-eighty degrees, Kingdra firing water into the air. But just as it looked like Machop and Torchic would fall victim to their team move, both managed to spin their bodies quick enough for Marshal to release his hold on them, his eyes widening as he continued to plummet, shouting, "KINGDRA, STOP THE WATER!"

Unfortunately for him, it was too late as his skull made contact with the mat, Kingdra releasing his hold and shouting, "SORRY!" only for Machop and Torchic to descend toward him sideways, ramming their shoulders into his thus knocking him on his back.

"The problem with a move like that is that if anyone were to escape, you'd be on the receiving end," Machop said with a grin as the crowd cheered wildly, Yuki exclaiming, "And using the same tactic she used to escape from a figure-four headlock, Machop and Torchic have avoided damage and caused Marshal to fall victim to his own attack!"

Isamu had a big smile on his face as he thought, 'Yes! I knew she could figure out a way out of that,' as the others applauded Machop and Torchic.

However, the match was still not over as Marshal started to rise. Machop would not allow that again as she wrapped her arms around him, saying, "Alright, Torchic, it's a long shot, but I'm sure we can pull this off."

The chicken nodded and replied, "Yeah. If my grandma could pull this off without breaking a sweat, even without arms, I can still pull this off."

With that in mind, she proceeded to place a firm grip on Kingdra's tail with her right talon, hurling him high into the air. The crowd gasped as the chicken then leapt up to the seahorse's level, wrapping her legs around his head and flipping him over.

The crowd stared in shock as Machop leapt high into the air, flipping Marshal over before binding him in place with her arms and legs. Yuki stared in wonder as Nori exclaimed, "Oh my god, people, if what I'm seeing is to be believed, Machop and Torchic are setting up for that amazing team move that won Machamp and Combusken the championship in the very first Ultimate World Team Tournament!"

Kingdra was too shocked to even try to fight back as Marshal pursed his lips, closing his eyes and thinking, 'Dammit, even with all of my best efforts, I wasn't good enough.'

Torchic managed to speed up her descent enough to plant Kingdra's head up against Marshal's feet as she and Machop shouted, "MUSCLE COFFIN!" the tan fighter's head hitting the canvas hard as he and Kingdra both coughed up blood, their eyes rolling to the backs of their heads.

After a few seconds, Torchic and Machop released their holds and allowed the two villains to collapse, Nori explaining, "It was just as I predicted. Torchic and Machop managed to combine the first two Mach family signature moves, the Muscle Tombstone and the Ultimate Driver. Alone, these moves are already insanely powerful, but when put together, they're even more impressive."

"OH MY GOD, THAT WAS AMAZING!" Eiko squealed as the others nodded, Venipede saying, "I've never seen anything like that before."

"But how did Kingdra take in so much damage?" Meloetta asked as Rinko replied, "It's because his skull was pressed up against Marshal's feet. Because of that, it was like he received a really hard kick to the head upon landing."

Noboru and Hana let out a collective sigh of relief, looking up at Isamu and really hoping this was it. And after a few seconds, Yuki rang the bell and exclaimed, "And after the longest, most intense match of the day, Machop and Torchic have finally come out on top!"

The crowd cheered wildly as Machop rose her arms in the air, Torchic grinning with pride. It seemed this team-up really was a match made in heaven.

At that moment, Isamu's cage vibrated as everyone gasped, the bottom coming open as he fell toward the floor right outside the ring. But just as Noboru and Hana were about to get up, Machop leapt out of the ring just in time to grab him, breathing a sigh of relief and smiling warmly.

"Thanks," the boy said with a grin as Machop set him down, "I knew you could do it," the girl nodding and shaking his hand.

At that moment, Eiko, Noboru and Hana got up and ran toward Isamu, his eyes widening as they held him in a tight embrace. After a few seconds, a warm smile formed on his face as he patted their backs, saying, "Don't worry. I'm fine."

Torchic breathed a sigh of relief as Hana turned to face her and Machop, tears in her eyes as she sniffed, "Thank you so much for everything."

Noboru nodded and said, "I have to say, our kids have a very good set of friends," the man giving Machop a light nudge on the shoulder as she grinned and replied, "Don't you worry about a thing. As long as we're around, no one in Tokyo is going to die."

However, the moment came to a halt when the crowd gasped, Marshal's body twitching as he placed a firm grip against the mat. He then slowly pushed himself up, breathing heavily with anger in his eyes. Nori let down nervous sweat and uttered, "I would like to remind Marshal that this match is over. If he makes another move, his sentence in prison is likely to be extended."

But just as it looked like Marshal was about to attack Machop, he felt a great pain coursing through his head as he let out a loud cry. He then clutched onto that very spot and fell to his knees, grunting, "No, it's not fair! Even with all of my superior skills, I couldn't outdo my father and uncle! Why!?"

"He's still obsessing over that?" Rinko groaned, "Seriously, man, let it go."

At that moment, a group of Hero Planet authorities raced into the area and bound his wrists with handcuffs, one of them saying, "You're gonna be in prison for a long time," the tan boy breathing heavily and glaring at Machop.

The girl took a deep breath and sighed, "You know, if you really wanted the world to recognize your family, you didn't have to do this. I can tell just from how close you came that you definitely have a lot of potential. But it's not like we're the only opponents worthy of testing that. There are plenty of strong villains out there, strong villains who could easily be put in their place if you helped out."

Marshal stared at the girl for a few seconds before sighing, "Maybe you're right, maybe you're not. I'll need to think about it. But mark my words. If we ever fight again, it'll be a singles match and I'll be the victor."

With that, the tan boy was dragged out of the Tokyo Dome and loaded up into a spaceship to be flown to Hero Planet's prison along with the rest of his allies. While his parting words may have been alarming, Machop had hope for him as a light smile formed on her face.

With all said and done, it was time for the heroes and their humans friends to return to their homes. Though on the way back, Meloetta wished to be dropped off at the hospital to check up on Vigoroth, which everyone was more than fine with.

But just as Eiko was about to join them, she stubbed her toe against something hard and fell forward, landing on her chin. She then frowned and spat, "HEY, WHAT THE-!?" before turning toward the cause and noticing it was not a rock like she thought it would be but rather an egg, a rather big one at that. Most of it was black with green dots and white lines surrounding it while the bottom fifth was black. Needless to say, this was no ordinary egg.

To make matters worse, it was not in a nest and there were no signs of a possible mother nearby. This led Eiko to believe that this egg had been abandoned, meaning there was no one to hatch it. There was no way she could leave it here and thus she carefully picked it up with a sweet smile and said, "Don't worry, Mommy's gonna give you a new home," cradling it.

"Hey, Eiko, you coming!?" Isamu called out as the pink-haired girl nodded and replied, "Coming!"

At first, the family was not so sure about Eiko taking the egg home with her. As such, they decided to inspect the area for any signs of a mother and ultimately came to the same conclusion she did. Whoever laid the egg was either dead or had abandoned it, but whatever the case, the baby inside no longer had a mother.

With that in mind, the group was finally headed away from the area as Eiko hugged the egg, Machop staring and asking, "So, what do you think is inside it?" Venipede nodding and replying, "Yeah, I've never seen anything like this. It's like it's an alien egg or something."

"So it's not, like, one of your kind or something like that?" Eiko asked as Venipede shook his head and replied, "Oh no. When a centipede like me lays an egg, it's green and magenta. Though it is definitely similar in size, I'll give you that."

"So bugs like you really do come from eggs," Rinko replied as Venipede nodded and explained, "Yes, but unlike normal bugs, our kind can only lay one or two eggs at a time. It's actually not that much different from human reproduction."

"Same with my kind," Torchic replied with a grin, "Though it's different if the mother's a human," Isamu imagining a human woman pushing out a chicken, shuddering and groaning, "Your kind is weird."

Rinko tapped her chin and said, "So, if Venipede and I had a child-" only for Isamu to bark, "CAN WE PLEASE DROP THIS SUBJECT!?" everyone laughing.

All the while, Meloetta smiled sweetly and said, "Well, I don't see a problem with that at all," before looking at the egg and adding, "I think what you're doing is great. I'm sure you'll make a great mommy."

"You really think so?" Eiko asked with a big smile as Isamu sighed, "Look, sis, it's not that I don't trust you, but once that egg hatches, I'm helping you raise that kid."

"No way," Eiko retorted before sticking her tongue out, "Your ugly face would scare him," the boy frowning as their parents laughed, Noboru saying, "Come on, kids, don't fight. You've been through a lot today."

With all said and done, Meloetta was dropped off at the hospital so she could make sure Vigoroth was alright. The others decided to stay for a little bit as well seeing as the sloth was their friend too.

Luckily, since she had taken in the blow to her head underwater, she had not suffered too much damage and thus she had already made a full recovery. Needless to say, Meloetta was very happy to see her wide awake and only felt more positive when the doctor revealed that Vigoroth only needed one more hour to make a full recovery.

With that in mind, the green-haired girl asked, "Do you want me to stay?" the sloth shaking her head and replying, "No. I can get home by myself. You go home and rest. You totally earned it today."

Meloetta had the biggest smile on her face as she hugged her friend, Machop saying, "Don't sell yourself too short, Vigoroth. You were awesome too."

"Yeah, thank you for saving me from Carnivine," Noboru said as Venipede nodded, adding, "Yeah, we would have been plant food if you hadn't shown up."

"Hey, anything for a friend," Vigoroth replied with a grin as soon enough, the group was ready to head home. They did not feel like stopping by the club to celebrate or anything like that. All that mattered to them right now was resting up from all of today's matches.

And soon enough, all of those not living with Isamu and Eiko were dropped off. Once Machop and Meloetta were in front of Lairon and Garchomp's house, Machop grinned and waved, saying, "Thanks for the ride."

"It's the least we can do after everything you've done for us," Noboru replied with a light smile, Hana waving and exclaiming, "Come on by anytime!"

"No, seriously, I'd love to have you guys over sometime," Isamu said as Meloetta gave them a sweet smile, squealing, "That sounds wonderful."

With all said and done, the humans were finally ready to return home as they took off, Machop entering the house. It was oddly quiet until she heard Eri barking, a deep feminine voice saying, "Quiet, they'll hear you."

With that, Machop rolled her eyes and sighed, "Alright, what's going on here?" before entering the dining room to see a big dinner had been prepared, Lairon grinning and saying, "Here's for our heroes."

While dinner was often the smallest meal of the day in Japan, Garchomp and Lairon had prepared a wide assortment of food. This included miso soup with mussels, tofu covered in a crab sauce, thirty rolls of various types of sushi and black cod.

Machop's eyes sparkled as Meloetta squeaked, "Is that all for us!?" Machop trying not to drool as Lairon chuckled and said, "Hey, you totally earned this today. Garchomp told me all about how impressive you were, Meloetta, and as for you, Machop, well, I was here to watch it on TV. I have to say, you've really come a long way."

The girl grinned and replied, "I just wanted to get an early bed, but screw that. This is much better," Meloetta biting her lower lip. To think that if she had not been sealed in stone for all those years, she never would have had a life like this.

With that in mind, she looked out the window and thought, 'I wish you could be here to enjoy this with me, Mommy. This is the kind of life we always dreamed of and more.'

All four cupped their hands together and said, "Thank you for the food," before digging in. Needless to say, this was the best meal Meloetta had ever tasted.

All the while, Isamu and Eiko had a more traditional Japanese meal. After all, their parents did not have more than an hour to prepare it, not to mention neither teen felt like having anything big. They just wanted to enjoy dinner and go to bed as soon as possible.

But as Eiko readied herself for bed, she tucked her new egg under the covers next to her and kissed it on the side, saying, "Sweet dreams, cutie."

She then turned off the light next to her and went to sleep, cradling the egg in her arms. She just wanted it to hatch as soon as possible.

Meanwhile, Isamu lay under his own covers, stared up at the ceiling and thought about everything that had happened today. However, the moment that stuck out the most to him was when Machop caught him. For some strange reason, being held in her grip like that made his heart race even faster than it had under the most intense circumstances, but why?

Whatever the case, he could not figure it out at the moment and thus he shrugged his shoulders and closed his eyes, a light smile on his face. All he could hope now was that his family would never be held hostage again, but even if that did happen, he knew Machop and her friends would be there to save them.


	36. Chapter 36

Note: The movie Isamu has the others watch with him is an actual horror comedy called 'The Happiness of the Katakuris'.

It had been two weeks since the defeat of Marshal and his allies, and things had been fairly peaceful in Tokyo. As such, the group used their free time to enjoy themselves as usual with the only major difference being Eiko's egg. Ever since she found it, she had made it her duty to bring it with her everywhere she went no matter what.

Currently, she and her friends were at the club as Vigoroth and Meloetta were in the midst of a game of billiards, the green-haired girl surprisingly dominating. She had just sunk the eight ball as Vigoroth stared in horror, asking, "Is this really your first time?"

"Sorry, was I supposed to lose?" Meloetta asked as Vigoroth clutched the sides of her head, Isamu turning toward them while sitting on the couch with the others and laughing, "She's just being a poor sport! You've done an impressive job!"

"Guys, quiet!" Eiko squeaked as the others turned to face her. She was currently cradling the egg in a blanket as she murmured, "You'll wake him."

"Sis, if you're so worried about that, why did you bring the egg to a club of all places?" Isamu asked as Rinko added, "He's got a point. This isn't exactly the most quiet place in Tokyo."

"I'm sorry," Eiko sighed, "I know I'm being a bit of a killjoy. It's just that I can't bare the thought of not being there when he finally hatches."

"Oh yeah, that's why you can't just leave the egg with your mom," Machop replied as Eiko beamed bright and added, "That's right. I'm taking little Kelani with me everywhere."

"You've already decided on a name?" Machop asked as she rose an eyebrow, Isamu nodding and sighing, "I keep telling her it's too early. I mean, how do you know the baby's even going to be a boy?"

"I just have a feeling is all," Eiko replied with a big smile, "Maybe it's mother's intuition," Torchic laughing nervously and uttering, "Yeah, sure, why not?"

Isamu rolled his eyes and turned to Machop, asking, "By the way, you said you had the day off from training, right?" the girl nodding and saying, "Yeah, Lairon says I've earned it. I'm just hoping this doesn't turn out like my last day off."

The others nodded as Venipede sighed, "As satisfying as it was finally mastering my family's best move, I don't want a repeat of that," Rinko nodding and patting him on the shoulder.

"Yeah, I really hope we have a peaceful night," Isamu replied, "Mom and Dad have agreed that you guys can come over for dinner if you'd like," Torchic's eyes widening as Meloetta and Vigoroth turned to face him.

"Yeah, they figured with you being such great friends, it would be awesome to have you over," Eiko replied before kissing her egg and adding, "You hear that, Kelani? We're gonna have friends over."

"Oh yeah, she has a special seat for the egg," Isamu sighed as Eiko pouted and remarked, "Why wouldn't I? Kelani is a member of the family, and that means he sits with us for din-din."

The others stared awkwardly as Meloetta giggled and said, "That so sweet. Maybe I should get married. Then I could have a baby," the others laughing nervously as Rinko uttered, "You know you have to be at least eighteen to get married in this day and age, right?"

"Actually, in Japan, the male has to be eighteen and the female has to be at least sixteen," Isamu replied as even Machop was shocked to hear this. None of the heroes could believe that after more than a month of living in Japan, they did not know this until just now.

Vigoroth then grinned and said, "It's also best to date someone for a few years before even considering marriage. If you ever decide to seek out the perfect man, I'll help you out. It may be hard to believe, but I've been in a couple of relationships myself."

"A couple?" Machop asked as Vigoroth sighed, "Yeah, they were both in the same year and ended after a week. Apparently, I'm too badass for other sloths to handle."

Torchic snickered and said, "Bet you're glad you left your kingdom now, eh?" Vigoroth blinking and replying, "You make a good point. I may actually be able to find someone here."

At that moment, the conversation came to a close when one of the boys at the club said, "Hey, Meloetta, we haven't heard you sing all day," the green-haired girl's eyes widening as she squeaked, "Oh yeah! I almost forgot!"

With that, she excitedly skipped over to the karaoke machine and turned to Eiko who nodded and gave her a thumb up. Meloetta breathed a sigh of relief and started playing music, singing along with it as everyone was about to cheer only for Eiko to scowl at them. As such, they all gave the green-haired girl a low clap, laughing nervously.

Once that was over, the group was headed to Isamu and Eiko's house, and as excited as the boy was to have all of his hero friends there, for whatever reason, he was most excited to have Machop there. But even he did not know why her thoughts on his house mattered more than those of the others.

Soon enough, the group arrived, but since it was only two in the afternoon, Noboru and Hana had not even started on dinner. But this hardly mattered to the group as Eiko opened the door, saying, "Welcome to our humble home."

While not too fancy, the interior of the house was nice. Hana had just finished vacuuming the floor when she noticed her kids and their friends arrive, smiling and saying, "Hello. I just finished cleaning up, so make yourselves at home."

Meloetta bowed her head as Machop replied, "Thanks. We shall do just that," a big grin on her face as Isamu said, "Come on. I'll give you a quick little tour of the house. We may be spending most of it in the basement."

For the first little while, the boy showed the heroes to his and Eiko's rooms. Isamu's was exactly like everyone figured it would be. It was neat and tidy with most of his things in drawers.

While Eiko's room was not too much different, the paint job on her walls was practically unnoticeable as she had a wide assortment of posters. Of course, every one of them was related to the heroes of Earth, Machop rather surprised by all the merchandise of her. Along with the posters was a big collection of plush toys, figures and DVDs, one of which was the box set of an entire animated series starring Lucario.

Venipede stared at the disc and uttered, "Did you know this existed?" Rinko shaking her head as she said, "I know he's famous, but damn."

Eiko had the proudest look on her face as Machop said, "This is actually pretty awesome," noticing action figures of her, Machoke and Machamp as the pink-haired girl stated, "These are my personal favourites."

"It's funny," Isamu said with a sigh, "Before we started working part-time, she only had a few things in here. Those action figures she got for her tenth birthday and a couple of those posters were bought by our aunt and uncle when they took us to the mall a couple of years ago."

"Yeah, but now I don't need anyone to buy this stuff for me!" Eiko squealed with delight, "Now that I have money, I can buy my own stuff!"

Isamu rolled his eyes and sighed, "You know, Mom and Dad may be okay with this for now, but one of these days, you're gonna be in desperate need of money and you won't have any because you blew it on all of this."

"Don't you think you're getting ahead of yourself?" Rinko asked, "Eiko's still got four years before she graduates, right?" the pink-haired girl nodding and replying, "Exactly. Once I get a full-time job, I can buy all the stuff I want and still have plenty leftover for college and all that stuff."

Isamu shrugged his shoulders and replied, "If you say so," as Machop patted him on the shoulder and said, "Still, it might be best not to let the baby near some of this stuff. They're known to destroy things. According to Mama, I was pretty destructive at that age. I used to pretend household items were villains."

Isamu blinked and imagined a baby Machop running around the house and piledriving a vase into the floor. As scary an image as that was, it was also strangely adorable as he found himself resisting the urge to laugh.

"Wow, I never thought of that," Eiko replied as Vigoroth said, "You may also wanna consider getting a crib. If that egg contains a creature like us, you're not exactly going to get a pet out of it."

Once the group was finished checking out Eiko's room, they were led to the basement where a big-screen TV was set up. There was also a good number of movies lined up on a shelf as Isamu said, "Dinner's at least three hours away. You guys wanna watch something?"

Before agreeing to this, Machop noticed a gaming console hooked up and asked, "Hey, what sorts of games do you guys have?" Eiko squealing and replying, "I know just the one!"

"Now who's talking too loud?" Torchic asked as the others snickered, Eiko not realizing this as she pulled out a box, saying, "We should totally play this."

She then held up a fighting game featuring heroes both old and new, Machop's eyes sparkling as she squealed, "Oh my god! We're all in a video game!" Meloetta blinking and saying, "Wow, I might finally learn how to play one of these."

Venipede looked at the cover and said, "Hey, there's a little anime me on it," Rinko nodding and saying, "Wow, I'm available in my Mantima outfit," Torchic grinning and saying, "Pop that baby in. I want a go at this."

Isamu blinked, feeling a tad disappointed but soon found himself wanting to join in as a light smile formed on his face. The movie could wait. After all, neither hero had a gaming system, so this could very well be their only chance in a while to play this.

Meloetta was rather surprised to see herself in the game as she asked, "When was this made?" Eiko replying, "Well, development finished last month, but when the world saw your dancing abilities, they added you as a DLC."

"DLC?" the green-haired girl asked as Machop explained, "It means downloadable content," Meloetta's eyes sparkling as she said, "I still have so much to learn."

The heroes played for about an hour until Isamu heard the door open. He then nodded and said, "Dad's home," Eiko pausing the game and saying, "Guess we may as well say hi before continuing."

The next three hours were certainly a lot of fun. After another hour of playing, the group decided to watch a musical comedy about a family running a cursed hotel. Various parts left Rinko and Venipede confused while others came off as surprisingly grim for a comedy. Meloetta would have had trouble sitting through it had she not been exposed to quite a few action and horror films since she joined the group. All she needed to know was that none of it was real.

The movie just happened to end right when Hana and Noboru finished making dinner. Thus everyone was ready as they headed upstairs, Eiko making sure not to drop the egg.

Once the group was seated, Machop, Torchic and Vigoroth stared awkwardly at a baby chair set up next to Eiko. Along with having the egg wrapped in a blanket, it was also seated on top of another one in the shape of a nest. Isamu was not kidding. She really did have a chair for the egg.

"I told you," the boy whispered to Machop as she nodded and replied, "Seriously, she treats it like it's already hatched."

Noboru grinned and said, "I would like to propose a toast for our honoured guests, the heroes of Tokyo who have not only saved us all from evil multiple times but also saved our kids from the hands of death two weeks ago on this very day. It is a true honour for them to join us for dinner tonight."

Meloetta's cheeks were bright pink as Rinko laughed nervously, saying, "Wow, he says that like we're royalty or something," Venipede replying, "Well, we have pretty much reached celebrity status."

With that in mind, all ten people rose their cups of tea and clinked them together, taking simultaneous sips. But just as they were about to try the food, Eiko's eyes widened when she noticed the egg start to twitch.

"Oh my god, it's about to hatch!" she squeaked as the others gasped and gazed upon it.

"We're about to witness something magical," Noboru said as Hana quickly took out her phone, entering the camera screen and pressing 'record'.

Isamu grinned and said, "Now we'll see whether or not this baby really is a boy," Eiko biting her lower lip in anticipation as the entire egg cracked open. Everyone stared wide-eyed at the creature that sat there before them.

He was a small, gelatinous being with a leafy-green body. He had a large round head and torso along with a small hook-shaped tail to stand on. He only had one big eye with a small white oval in the middle of his face. On the bottom of his head was a beak-like formation and in the middle of his body was a hexagon with a red front side and a blue back side.

All went silent as Vigoroth asked, "What the hell kind of creature is that?" as Eiko beamed bright and squealed, "I don't care! All that matters is that my little Kelani is adorable!"

The baby looked up at her with his eye sparkling before leaping into her arms, the pink-haired girl saying, "Welcome to the world, Kelani."

Isamu nodded with a sweet smile and said, "Yeah, it's good to have you here, little guy," holding out his hand only for the green creature to tremble, Eiko reassuringly saying, "It's okay. That's just Uncle Isamu. I know he has a pretty scary face, but he's nice."

"Scary face?" the boy remarked as Machop snickered, Noboru and Hana not sure how to respond to that.

After a few seconds, tears welled up in the baby's eye as he started crying, Eiko holding him close and rubbing his back, saying, "There, there, Mommy's got you," Noboru and Hana about to help before noticing the child almost instantly calm down when in Eiko's care. Despite not really being the creature's mother and having no parenting experience herself, it was as if she was meant to care for Kelani and no one else.

Even so, Eiko was fully aware of the fact that she could not bring the baby to school and as such, she figured her mom could take care of him during the day. With that in mind, she knew the child would at least have to learn to trust Hana, but right now, he just wanted to be in the pink-haired girl'ss gentle embrace and no one else's.

Soon enough, dinner was over and it was time for the heroes to head home. As such, they bowed their heads to Noboru and Hana, thanking them for a wonderful time and exited, Machop resting her hands behind her head, saying, "Man, that sure was an eventful evening. I just really hope Eiko's ready for this."

"I'm not too worried," Torchic replied with a shrug of her shoulders, "Don't forget, she's got Isamu and her parents to help her out. And besides, folks like us are more like humans, so taking care of Kelani won't be that much different from taking care of a human baby."

"Really?" Rinko asked as Venipede nodded and said, "Yep, I grew up with the same treatment as any human. I drank milk, got nap times, slept in a crib, all the stuff you'd expect from a baby. We may not be human, but we are more evolved than your typical animal."

Vigoroth took a deep breath and said, "Well, to be honest, she doesn't even seem completely prepared for that. It's a damn good thing her family knows a lot about it," Meloetta nodding and adding, "But just think, their parenting skills could rub off on her. Then she won't need their help."

Either way, it was probably for the best that someone take care of Kelani, let alone someone good. If they had left that egg alone, there was a chance a villain could have picked it up or the baby could have grown up all by itself.

After a few more hours, it was time for bed as Eiko tucked Kelani in next to her, a big smile on her face as she said, "The others said you'd need a crib, but I have a feeling I can trust you in a more grown-up bed."

The baby seemed more than comfortable under the covers as he implied a smile with his eye, Eiko returning the gesture and saying, "Come on, let's get some shut-eye."

She then turned off the light next to her bed and said, "Goodnight, cutie," Kelani letting out a light squeak before closing his eye, Eiko kissing his forehead. Despite only having just been born, he was surprisingly well behaved. Perhaps taking care of this child would not be so difficult after all.

While the two slept, two figures loomed outside the window. One reached out a pair of peach-coloured hands and shattered the window, Eiko screaming in terror as Kelani woke up, his eye wide with fear as the owner of the hands approached him, saying, "There, there, child, you're in good hands. I'm just going to bring you to your rightful owners."

"That's right," her ally replied, "Now come with us peacefully and no one gets hurt," as Eiko spread her arm out in front of the baby, exclaiming, "Hey, if you want Kelani, you'll have to get through me!"

As it just so happened, the peach-coloured arms were actually the long hair of their owner, who had no normal arms. Her body was a black pumpkin with two stubby feet and a menacing face carved into it. Her head was more like the top of a broomstick only she had two thin, oval-shaped eyes and a small mouth. Along with her long pink hair was a black cowlick shaped like a crescent moon.

Her ally was a slender brown tree who stood atop six roots like spider legs. His mouth and belt area were more like if bark had been ripped off to reveal his inner body, which was made of black shadows. Each side of his head had a long, horn-like gnarl with a small one on each forearm. He also had hair and bracelets made from tufts of leaves and a single red eye.

"You heard the girl, Trevenant," the broom pumpkin said as the tree cracked his knuckles and added, "She's either very brave for a human or ungodly stupid, wouldn't you say, Gourgeist?"

But just as they were about to attack her, Isamu burst into the room, shouting, "WHAT'S GOING ON!?" Kelani curled up into a ball and trembling as the boy noticed the demonic creatures before him and growled, "You stay away from my sister!"

The boy then leapt at the two only for Trevenant to swing the back of his hand into his cheek, sending him crashing into the wall. He then closed his eyes and slid down it as Gourgeist moved her arms menacingly toward Eiko.

But just as the pink-haired girl closed her eyes, bracing herself for what was to come, she was shocked not to have been hurt. As it so happened, the broom pumpkin reached over her arm and picked up Kelani, the baby doing his best to escape but to no avail.

"Well, we got what we wanted," Gourgeist said as Trevenant nodded and replied, "We may as well take our leave. Thanks for the kid, but we would have liked it more if you'd just handed him over."

With all said and done, the two leapt out of the window as Noboru and Hana entered, Noboru noticing Isamu slowly rising to his feet and rubbing his cheek. Hana ran to his side as the man asked, "Eiko, what happened?" as the pink-haired girl had tears in her eyes, sniffing, "Two creeps came in and stole Kelani!"


	37. Chapter 37

Note: In case you're wondering, yes, Jackalu is, in fact, Mega Lucario.

Just as the day had gone so well, everything had been ruined by Gourgeist and Trevenant. Currently, both were fleeing from Eiko and Isamu's house with Kelani trying his hardest to break free from Gourgeist's grip, the broom pumpkin frowning and grunting, "God, this kid's annoying!"

"I'll hold him if you'd like," Trevenant suggested as the broom pumpkin shook her head and replied, "It's fine. I can manage."

With that, she increased her grip as the baby cried out in pain, Trevenant asking, "But seriously, what kind of name if Kelani? I don't expect a human to know his real name, but come on! That's just so stupid!"

"Well, from what I can gather, it means heaven," Gourgeist replied as the tree blinked and said, "Okay, that's slightly less lame, but unfitting nonetheless."

During this time, Isamu called up Machop only for Garchomp to answer the phone, asking, "Oh, hello, Isamu. What's up?"

It was not long until Machop and Meloetta were wide awake and searching for where the two demonic creatures had run off to. Though in order to make sure they could get there more quickly, Garchomp was driving them. And of course, Machop had decided to call up the others just to be on the safe side.

Naturally, they were more than happy to help as well with Torchic sprinting toward Isamu and Eiko's house. After all, the villains had only escaped a few minutes ago, meaning there could very well be some way of knowing where they had gone.

Venipede and Rinko were also on their way as the brunette yawned and grumbled, "Dammit, usually when villains show up late at night, they give us time to rest up," Venipede replying, "You have to remember, though, every other villain fully intended on facing us for control of Tokyo. I get the feeling these two don't even care about that."

Soon enough, the group arrived as Isamu met them outside, breathing a sigh of relief and saying, "Thank god. I knew I could count on you," Machop nodding with a grin as Vigoroth turned to Eiko, who had tears in her eyes, and asked, "Did you see where they went?"

"All I saw was them jump out my window," the pink-haired girl whimpered, pointing toward the back yard as Torchic immediately noticed two things coming from that area. One was a line of holes leading to the left and the other was a trail of leaves.

"Guys, I think I know how we're gonna find these two, but we're gonna have to move quickly," the chicken stated as the others nodded, the heroes entering Garchomp's van while Noboru and Hana decided to drive Isamu and Eiko in their car. While they may not have been able to fight these two like the others, they still wanted to make sure Kelani was okay.

All the while, Gourgeist and Trevenant had run pretty far from the house. But just as it looked like no one could oppose them, both were stopped in their tracks by a red and blue blur that hooked them both in the neck.

This caused them to fall on their backs as Gourgeist released her hold on Kelani, the baby flying as their assailant quickly dashed to where he was headed. He then took hold of the baby and smiled, saying, "Don't worry. You're safe now."

Gourgeist and Trevenant slowly rose to their feet, turning toward the source as their eyes widened. The one who had struck them was a dog with a look similar to that of Lucario with quite a few differences.

His thighs were slimmer and the cream-coloured fur around his torso covered more of him. His paws and feet were crimson and each had two spikes on top of it. Along with a spike on his chest, he also had two in front of his shoulders, which resembled braces as opposed to actual skin and fur. Like Lucario, he had four ear-like appendages on the sides of his head, only these were longer and had crimson tips. Finally, he had black markings along his arms and legs and his tail was long, cream-coloured and bushy.

"I can't believe it!" Trevenant uttered, "It's the legendary Lucario!" Gourgeist shaking her head and retorting, "No, that's not quite him, but he bears a striking resemblance."

"Well, good to know my father still has a reputation even today," the dog replied with a grin, "I am his son, Jackalu."

"Look, I don't care who your father is!" Trevenant snapped, "That child needs to meet his real owners, the ones originally entrusted with his egg!" Gourgeist adding, "Yeah, they'll be really angry if we don't return with him!"

"Sounds like a butthurt reaction to me," Jackalu remarked with a smirk, "If anything, they should have thought about all of this before dropping their precious egg. I'm gonna make sure this baby grows up in a good environment. That way, he'll never fulfil his so-called destiny."

"Wait, what?" Gourgeist uttered as Trevenant asked, "Do you actually know who that is?" Jackalu nodding and replying, "Most people don't, but I do. I may not know all the details, but I managed to get the truth out of one of your allies, someone by the name of Mismagius."

Both stared wide-eyed as the dog explained, "I caught her snooping around Osaka. The minute she saw me, she attacked me, so I knew she couldn't possibly be on the side of good."

Since this had only happened two weeks ago, the dog remembered it perfectly, his meeting with the villains' associate. Mismagius was a tall purple ghost with a round head and elaborate tufts that resembled a witch's hat. Her body was also a lot like a cloak, though her arms and legs were more like sleeves.

At first, it seemed like she would be able to defeat Jackalu with ease as she leapt high above the ground, binding his arms and legs in place. However, the dog easily managed to escape by wriggling his wrists and ankles free.

He then took full advantage of Mismagius by flipping himself upright, taking hold of her and turning her so her belly was pointed upward. He then rested her back against his shoulder, leaning backward and slamming the back of her neck against the ground, exclaiming, "HALF-MOON PRESS!"

Back in present time, Jackalu had a proud grin on his face as he explained, "In exchange for not calling the authorities, I had her tell me everything I needed to know. She told me how she was looking for the egg carrying this baby that I'm holding right now, saying her masters dropped it somewhere while taking a flight through Japan. Apparently, he's very powerful, the future heir who's going to one day reign supreme over all mankind, correct?"

Gourgeist nodded and growled, "But if all she told you was that the egg was somewhere in Japan, how did you know to look here?" Jackalu replying, "I didn't at first. In fact, I've been travelling throughout Japan looking for this egg, and this just happened to be the most recent spot. I asked around and some people, mostly teens, spoke of an associate of theirs having a green and black egg in her possession. That's when I knew the baby was here."

He then remembered earlier in the day when he came to Isamu and Eiko's house during dinner, peering through the window. He had fully intended on swiping the egg from her so he could protect it, but when he noticed that the baby hatched and also seemed comfortable around the human girl, he figured that she and her family would be perfect. There was no doubt such nice people could raise this child to be a good citizen and not the evil heir he was initially intended to be.

Back in present time, Jackalu took a deep breath and said, "I was just about to head back to Osaka when you came along. Too bad, really. If you'd waited just a little bit longer, I wouldn't be here to stop you."

Gourgeist frowned and retorted, "Whatever! Your family may be tough, but it's two against one! We can take you!" Trevenant nodding and striking a fighting stance, adding, "Exactly. Now hand over the kid and no one gets hurt."

"As if I'd allow your masters to raise this child," Jackalu grunted as Kelani trembled, the dog stroking him atop the head and cooing, "It's okay, baby. I'll keep you safe."

"Alright, even if you are good enough to take us, how are you going to hold onto the baby and fight us at the same time?" Gourgeist enquired as the dog was about to retort only to stop himself as if he was frozen in place, his eyes wide open while his mouth was forced into a smile.

Gourgeist smirked and cracked her hair knuckles, saying, "I'm going to enjoy this," before charging toward the dog as he gulped and spat, "TACTICAL RETREAT!" turning around and fleeing as both villains pursued him.

"Dammit, he's fast!" Gourgeist grumbled only for Jackalu to trip and fall forward, still holding onto Kelani. Unfortunately, this did not last when Gourgeist picked the child up, placing him in the hole of a nearby tree and saying, "Stay."

Kelani trembled as Jackalu blinked and said, "You know, that was actually a pretty good-" only to be cut off when Gourgeist placed a firm grip on his ears and lifted him up.

With her hands still pulling on his ears, she propelled herself off the ground and planted her rear end into his back, shouting, "PUMPKIN STOMP!" Thus she applied all of her weight and sent his chin into the surface.

However, now that Jackalu no longer had to worry about Kelani, he could finally fight back as he growled, "You've dealt your last blow!" before pushing his lower body up and sending a two-legged kick into the broom pumpkin's face.

Trevenant gasped and ran toward the area as Jackalu pushed his body up, sending another kick into Gourgeist's face. This one managed to knock her on her back as the dog leapt off of said part, flying toward Trevenant with his wrists pointed toward him.

The tree attempted to fight back, but Jackalu was flying too quickly and thus managed to pierce his arms, shouting, "ROYAL JAVELIN!"

While Trevenant did feel pain from this, Jackalu's eyes widened when he suddenly realized he had just pierced wood. As a result, his spikes were stuck as Trevenant laughed wickedly, saying, "You know, I thought that human girl was stupid to oppose us, but now I know who the real idiot is. A shame seeing as your dad was known as a tactical genius."

Jackalu laughed nervously as the tree pried the spikes out of his arms. He then flipped the dog upside-down and held him in place, a dark aura surrounding him as his roots started to grow. And before Jackalu knew it, he was ten feet off the ground as Trevenant started to shrink his roots, quickly descending toward the ground.

"INGRAIN PILEDRIVER!" the tree shouted as he sent the dog's skull hard into the ground, Kelani squeaking in panic.

The tree released his hold on the dog and allowed him to collapse before raising his hands and clenching them, forming an actual hammer shape and sending both into Jackalu's back, exclaiming, "WOOD HAMMER!"

The dog coughed up a small amount of blood as Gourgeist charged toward him, saying, "Hey, save some of the fun for me," leaping onto his back thus adding to the pain.

Kelani watched in horror as the broom pumpkin climbed off of him, nodding at Trevenant as each villain grabbed onto one of Lucario's appendages. They then proceeded to drag him along the ground, shouting, "TRICK-OR-TREAT!" skipping merrily while pulling the dog skull-first into a nearby tree.

"Hey, why'd you stop?" Gourgeist asked tauntingly, "I thought we were having fun," Kelani breaking out into tears and letting out a loud cry.

Luckily, Machop and the others had just exited their vehicles and were looking around this area when they heard the sound. Eiko's eyes widened as she squeaked, "KELANI!" sprinting toward the crying as the others nodded and followed close behind.

At this point, Jackalu had no chance of winning as Trevenant had his shoulders locked in place while Gourgeist unleashed an onslaught of punches into his face. With each hit, Jackalu coughed up more blood as he felt so useless. Despite his skills and his heritage, not even he could stand up to two adversaries at once.

After delivering a total of forty punches, Gourgeist was ready to end this for good as she leapt backwards, performing a handstand and pushed herself back. She then tilted her lower body so it was facing Lucario as she leaned her arms back, launching herself toward the dog and shouting, "PHANTOM BOMB!"

But just as she was seconds away from hitting him, her eyes widened and Trevenant's jaw dropped when Machop suddenly flew toward the broom pumpkin. And before Gourgeist knew it, she was on the receiving end of an elbow drop, Machop using all her might to force her back against the ground.

Eiko ran over to the tree as Kelani squeaked happily, leaping into her arms. The pink-haired girl held him in a tight embrace as she kissed his forehead, squealing, "I thought I'd lost you forever!"

Noboru and Hana breathed a collective sigh of relief as Isamu grinned and said, "I knew we'd get them back," as Machop leapt at Trevenant and kicked him in the skull, forcing him to release his hold on Jackalu. She then turned to the dog with a smile and said, "Hey, thanks for keeping them busy."

The dog's eyes sparkled as he gazed into Machop's, asking, "Are you an angel?"

Machop gave him a strange look until Gourgeist rose to her feet, she and Trevenant glaring at her as she smirked, saying, "You know, two against one is pretty cowardly and hardly fair. I just thought I'd even the playing field."

Jackalu sported a more serious look and nodded, barking, "Yeah, now you can't gang up on me!" as Trevenant blinked and asked, "Hey, Gourgeist, you know who that is?"

"Yeah," the broom pumpkin replied with a nod, "That's the daughter of the mighty Machop. I heard she was protecting Tokyo, and I guess the stories were true."

"Damn right they were," Machop replied with a smirk, "Now come on and fight me," the others standing back as Garchomp grinned and said, "That guy over there is lucky to have such an amazing ally."

"He sure is," Isamu replied with a sigh as Venipede and Rinko held up fighting stances, the brunette saying, "And hey, if push comes to shove, we'll take them down."

"Before we continue this, how in the hell did you find us?" Gourgeist asked as Machop pointed at Trevenant's footprints and the trail of leaves he left behind during his escape. The tree's eye widened as he let out a nervous laugh, the broom pumpkin slapping her forehead.

"Whatever!" Gourgeist groaned, "Come on, let's end this already!" as both villains raced toward the heroes.

However, now that Jackalu had help, he felt more than ready for this as his paws formed a transparent crimson orb around them. And just as Gourgeist was close enough, he sent one forward and spat, "FORCE PALM!" sending it hard into her face.

Before Trevenant could help his ally, Machop charged at him and rammed her arm into his neck. She then dashed behind him and wrapped both arms around him, lifting him up and leaning backwards, planting his head into the ground.

The others cheered as Kelani stared in wonder, Vigoroth shouting, "Never mess with Machop!"

Garchomp nodded and tapped her chin, saying, "Now that I think about that, that dog looks very familiar," the others nodding as Venipede replied, "Yeah, he kinda looks like Lucario."

With Gourgeist distracted, Jackalu saw a perfect opportunity to end this fight once and for all as he took hold of her wrists, leaping high into the air and flipping her so her head was facing the ground. He then wrapped his arms and legs around her, planting his chest spike into into her torso thus putting a hole between the pumpkin's eyes. With that, he descended toward the ground and shouted, "CANINE HUG SLAM!" sending her skull hard into the surface as she coughed up blood.

The dog released his hold and allowed her to collapse as Machop took hold of Trevenant's wrists from behind. She then pulled his arms back and leapt high into the air, wrapping her ankles around his roots while bending his back.

The others cheered as she spun like a twister, flipping herself over one-hundred-and-eighty degrees. Trevenant had a look of terror in his eye as she exclaimed, "MUSCLE TORNADO!" slamming his face hard against the ground.

Like Gourgeist, the tree passed out as Jackalu stared in amazement, saying, "Wow, I've never seen a move quite like that," his eyes replaced by beating hearts.

That came to a halt when Isamu ran over with a grin and held out his fist, saying, "Awesome work as always," Machop nodding and pounding her own fist against his. However, Jackalu shook his head, figuring this was nothing to worry about as he approached the girl.

"Hey, thanks for the save back there," the dog said as he held out his paw, Machop grinning and replying, "Any time," before shaking it.

"You weren't so bad yourself," Torchic said with a grin as Eiko's eyes sparkled, the pink-haired girl squealing, "Thank you so much for saving my little Kelani!" the baby squeaking happily.

Jackalu stared briefly, wondering if he should reveal the actual identity of the child. However, he figured it would be better if they did not know the truth and thus he smiled and bowed his head, saying, "Hey, I just happened to be in the area and, well, I couldn't let the forces of evil kidnap a baby."

He then chuckled lightly as Garchomp asked, "Hey, kid, you wouldn't happen to be related to Lucario, would you?" the dog nodding and replying, "Yeah. He's my pop. The name's Jackalu."

Since it was quite obvious from first glance, most of the group was not the least bit surprised to hear this. However, Eiko could not contain her excitement as Hana smiled and said, "I'll hold him if you'd like."

"Thanks, Mommy," the pink-haired girl replied as she handed Kelani over to the woman and sprinted over to Jackalu and squealed, "OH MY GOD, YOUR DADDY'S THE COOLEST, AND YOU'RE PRETTY COOL TOO!" the dog laughing nervously and replying, "Why, thank you, kind citizen."

"Okay, give the celebrity his space," Isamu sighed as he took hold of his sister's collar, "Sorry about that. She's the biggest hero fan in our family."

"Oh, nonsense," Jackalu replied with a shrug, "I'm used to this kind of treatment. In my assigned area, Osaka, the people love me."

"I can imagine that!" Eiko squealed as Machop blinked and uttered, "Wait, you're assigned to an area? I could swear I never once saw you in our class, and I do at least remember the faces of my classmates, even if there were more than a hundred of us."

"Come to think of it, I never noticed either," Venipede replied as Rinko nodded and said, "Same here."

Jackalu stared at the brunette, Machop sighing, "Yeah, she's also a Hero Planet graduate."

The dog nodded and explained, "Well, that's only natural. After all, I graduated last month. See, I'm a second semester student, but apparently, I was so good that I graduated early," a proud grin on his face as Machop nodded and replied, "Just like Gyarados."

Jackalu blinked and tapped his chin, saying, "Gyarados. Gyarados. Nope, doesn't ring a bell," Machop replying, "She's a former villain. She was actually the first opponent I ever defeated on Earth," a proud grin on the girl's face.

"Wow," Lucario replied with a sigh, "Well, I never did interact that much with my classmates. I was always too focused on being the best, you know?"

Torchic lowered her eyelids and whispered, "Anyone else think the way he's talking is really suspect?" as Rinko nodded and replied, "It sounds like he never actually went to Hero School."

However, that suspicion was dropped when Machop asked the dog who he defeated to be allowed on Earth. Jackalu nodded and said, "That's right, I faced my pop," the others staring in shock.

Jackalu reminisced about his victory over his father, how he had locked his arms and ankles in place and pressed his back up against his chest spike, shouting, "LONDON BRIDGE!"

Back in present time, the dog rubbed his chin with a grin and said, "That was the proudest moment of my life," before shaking Machop's hand again and adding, "Well, it was a mighty pleasure meeting all of you, but I need to head back to Osaka. After all, those dear citizens can't protect themselves."

The group nodded in understanding as Venipede shrugged and replied, "Well, I can't see any other reason he'd face his father if not for a final exam. Guess he is telling the truth."

Torchic nodded and exclaimed, "Best of luck in the future!" as the dog nodded while Garchomp had just finished reporting the unconscious villains to Beedrill. After all, the heroes could not just forget that they were still there.

And with all said and done, things had turned out well. Everyone retreated home for the night while Eiko showering Kelani in affection. And needless to say, the baby was happy to be back with her safe and sound.

Though while Jackalu headed to the subway to catch a bullet train back to Osaka, he took a deep breath and said, "I really hope no one else decides to kidnap him. God, that was too close."

But just who was this leader that Gourgeist and Trevenant worked for? How did they even have his egg to begin with? Only time would tell.


	38. Chapter 38

It had been two months since Kelani had been saved from Gourgeist and Trevenant and needless to say, Eiko and her family had done their absolute best to raise him. Luckily, no villains had appeared in Tokyo lately, which was surprising. If everything Jackalu said was correct, one would have expected more villains to try and kidnap the child, yet for some reason, no one had taken action, almost as if the leaders Gourgeist and Trevenant spoke of did not even know about this.

Whatever the case, Eiko was more than happy that Kelani was safe as she woke up one fine morning with a yawn. But as she turned sideways to look at the baby, her eyes widened when she saw a black doberman with pupil-less eyes, a green muzzle, neck and arm resting next to her. Her eyes widened as she let out a light squeak of panic.

The doberman awoke and turned to face her as she rolled out of her bed, falling on her back. However, she ignored the light pain this caused and sprang upright, pointing at him and shouting, "You're not Kelani! What have you done to him!?"

"What are you talking about, Mommy?" the doberman enquired, "I am K-" his eyes widening as he gasped, "Oh my god, I'm talking!" before feeling his snout and looking at his paws, not really understanding this himself.

Eiko stared for a few seconds before approaching the doberman and asking, "Are you really Kelani?" the doberman nodding and replying, "Yes, I am. I swear. I don't know why I look different, but-"

He stopped talking when he noticed Eiko looking deep into his eyes then at his colours as he sat upright, revealing green hexagons on his chest. After a while, the pink-haired girl breathed a sigh of relief and gave the doberman a hug, squealing, "You may look different, but I can tell it's you!"

Needless to say, Kelani was beyond happy as he wagged his new tail, saying, "Hey, this is kind of fun. I can see why dogs like doing it so much."

Soon enough, he and Eiko were seated for breakfast along with the rest of the family as Isamu said, "So, let me get this straight. Not only has he learned human speak in two months but he's now a dog," Eiko nodded and replying, "Yeah, now he's even cuter," before patting the doberman on the shoulder.

'He is easier to look at, that's for sure,' Isamu thought as Noboru laughed and said, "Well, I guess his kind just develops faster than we do," as Kelani's eyes sparkled, the doberman exclaiming, "Hey, yeah! Maybe I'll be a super genius next month!"

Isamu chuckled and replied, "Genius doesn't always come naturally. You have to go to school for that," as Noboru nodded and replied, "Yeah, I guess he will have to go to school now."

Eiko stared and beamed, squealing, "That's right! You can get an education and make friends!" only for Kelani to tremble and utter, "But won't that mean none of you will be with me?"

Isamu nodded and replied, "Yeah, but I'm sure you can manage, though Summer vacation starts soon, so we'll think about it once that's over."

The doberman blinked as Eiko nodded and said, "Yeah, we take a month off from school in the middle of the year. It'll give you plenty of time to do whatever you want."

With that in mind, Kelani smiled with glee and exclaimed, "Yay! That means I'll get to hang out with you guys!" as Hana nodded and said, "Yes, but if you go to the club, don't let him have any alcohol."

"Don't worry, I know he's not old enough for that yet," Eiko replied, "Besides, alcohol's gross and causes people to do bad things," Isamu patting her on the shoulder and replying, "And to think I was once worried about you trying it."

The family then shared a laugh, though they failed to notice Kelani's hexagons glowing briefly. Though why it happened would not be made clear anytime soon as nothing seemed to happen as a result of it.

Later that day, the heroes were on their way to the club as Torchic asked, "So Eiko and Isamu are already there?" Machop nodding and saying, "Yeah, they said something about a new member joining the group. Probably a friend from school."

"Well, the more the merrier," Rinko replied with a shrug as Meloetta smiled bright. After all, the very idea of making new friends made her happy.

As the group entered and approached the couch, Kelani had a big smile as he wagged his tail, waving and exclaiming, "Hey, guys! How are you doing today!?" the group staring as Vigoroth said, "Wow, another hero. Surprised I haven't heard of this guy."

"Well, he might be new," Machop replied with a shrug, "For all we know, he probably just graduated," Torchic nodding and replying, "Yeah, let's give him a warm welcome."

With that in mind, the heroes took a seat as Machop held out her hand, saying, "Hi there. I'm Machop," the doberman taking her hand with both paws and shaking it, replying, "Oh, you don't need to introduce yourself to me! I already know who you all are!"

He then pointed at each respective hero, stating, "Torchic, Venipede, Rinko, Vigoroth and Meloetta!" a proud grin on his face as Isamu sighed, "You'll never guess how he knows all of that."

Vigoroth blinked and asked, "You mean you didn't just give him a description of each of us?" the boy shaking his head as Meloetta squeaked, "Is he psychic!?"

"What's everyone talking about?" the doberman enquired with a shrug, "I've known you all for two months," Eiko nodding as Isamu sighed, "Honestly, I'm kinda surprised you actually remember who they are considering most people don't remember anything from their infancy."

"Wait, are you telling me that's-?" Machop uttered, staring wide-eyed as the doberman nodded and squealed, "I still remember the time you saved me from those horrible kidnappers, you and that Jack guy!" Eiko replying, "Jackalu. His name is Jackalu."

"Oh my god!" Torchic retorted, pointing a toe at him, "You really are Kelani!" as Eiko squeaked, "Stop pointing! You're being a bad influence!"

All of the heroes stared in stunned silence as Isamu sighed, "I have to ask you guys something. Is it normal for your kind to start off looking like a different species?" Machop shaking her head and replying, "Nope. I looked pretty much the same as a baby as I do now, only much shorter."

"Well, my exoskeleton wasn't quite as bulky, but yeah, same here," Venipede replied as Vigoroth added, "Aside from my eyes being bigger, I wasn't that much different either. I can show you the baby pictures as proof if you want."

"I was more pudgy, but yeah, I was pretty much the same as a baby too," Torchic added as Isamu blinked, Eiko squealing, "I knew it! You're special, Kelani!" hugging the doberman as Isamu sighed, "And I take it none of you learned to speak in only two months."

"Are you kidding?" Machop remarked, "We had to learn it just like your kind," Meloetta nodding and adding, "I didn't know how to talk until I was four. Apparently, I was a late bloomer."

"Wow, so I really do grow faster!" Kelani exclaimed with a big smile, Vigoroth shrugging and replying, "Well, guess that's that," not even bothering to bring up the possibility that this could very well give him a shorter lifespan.

At that moment, the owner brought out beverages for everyone, handing Kelani a cup of juice and saying, "Fresh apple juice for a special special kid," the doberman wagging his tail with a big smile.

"I guess he is still technically a minor, isn't he?" Torchic whispered as Machop replied, "No clue. His voice makes him sound he's at least thirteen."

The dog took a small sip and squealed, "Wow! It's so tasty!" as the others nodded, coming to the conclusion that he was at least a minor on the inside.

While the group enjoyed their time, Eiko noticed Beedrill appear on the big-screen TV, saying, "Hey, it's that guy who beat Magnemite and Squirtle in that team tournament."

"That I didn't know," Machop uttered as Venipede turned to Eiko and explained, "He's also the chairman of Hero Planet."

Eiko and Kelani's eyes sparkled in response to this until the doberman asked, "What's a chairman?" as Isamu looked much more interested.

"Attention, citizens," the wasp said, "First off, I would like to thank all of the heroes on Earth who have done their absolute best to keep the citizens safe. There has not been a single villain sighting in a long time, therefor we feel now is a good time to begin a major event, a time-honoured tradition that is only held by the government of Hero Planet."

Machop's eyes widened as she grinned and squealed, "Oh my god, I think I know where he's going with this!" the others equally interested with Eiko and Kelani slightly confused.

"That's right, folks, after all this time, we are holding the twenty-eighth Hero Olympics!" Beedrill exclaimed as the people in the club were truly excited, the owner saying, "Awesome. I wonder where they'll hold it this time."

"As many of you probably remember, this event was held in Tokyo, the location of the first Olympics, way back in twenty thirteen," Beedrill explained, "Since it's been quite a long time since then, we figured we may as well hold it there again."

Excitement grew in the club as Machop uttered, "Convenient," Beedrill adding, "We will hold three qualification tournaments in each country, thus it only stands to reason that three heroes will represent each one. In order to sign up, each hero must take a plane to his or her home country and sign up in one of the cities listed on our official website."

The link appeared on the screen right below the wasp as he said, "Don't worry about rushing to write that down. That link's gonna stay there for the rest of the announcement. I'm pointing that out because, well, how many other networks actually do that, right?"

He then cleared his throat and continued, "Anyway, all heroes will only have two weeks to sign up, but be quick. Only eight can sign up for a single tournament, meaning twenty-four from each country have a chance to compete in the Olympics. Sign-up locations are also available online, so don't worry too much about that."

With all said and done, the announcement came to a close as Meloetta blinked, asking, "So what exactly is the point of that?" Vigoroth replying, "See, it's to decide who the world champion is. Heroes compete not just for honour but also to represent their countries."

"Yeah, but it's all for sport," Venipede explained, "It's not for the sake of fighting evil, so you might not be interested," the green-haired girl nodding and replying, "Yeah, I hope you guys do a good job, but you can count me out."

"Aw, but I'd love to see you compete!" Eiko whimpered as Isamu sighed, "It's her choice, not yours," Kelani asking, "So it's like a series of games?"

The others laughed nervously as Eiko sighed, "You're not ready for that sort of thing yet. See, this is a big sporting event where the first few rounds consist of things like dangerous races and the like, but then the top sixteen to qualify for the final event face each other in a fighting tournament. I wouldn't want you to get hurt yet."

Kelani nodded with a smile and replied, "Okay, Mommy, I won't do it, then," as Isamu sighed, "Could you call her big sis or something? Seriously, she's not old enough to be a mother yet."

Eiko stuck her tongue out and remarked, "He can call me whatever he wants," Kelani repeating her gesture and reiterating, "Yeah, I can call Mommy whatever I want," Isamu groaning.

"Hey, it's not like it's hurting anyone," Torchic replied with a shrug before rising to her feet and saying, "Anyway, I best head off as soon as possible. Mother never made it to the fighting portion. I intend to do just that."

"Count me in as well!" Vigoroth exclaimed with a grin, "I'm not only gonna qualify, but I'm gonna win it for Algeria!"

Venipede took a deep breath and said, "Well, I do want to show my improvements. I'm in as well," Rinko adding, "It wouldn't be right for a member of the Adler family to back down from this."

Machop took a deep breath and got up, knowing she would join this. She had been waiting for this opportunity ever since she had heard of the Hero Olympics at a very young age. She heard of how Machoke made it to the finals only to lose to Lucario. If anything, Machop wanted to get the family's championship title back, or at least try.

Kelani smiled and clapped as Eiko said, "We'll definitely be there rooting for you guys," Isamu nodding and grinning at Machop, adding, "I just know you're gonna win that qualification tournament."

"You'd better believe it," Machop replied with a big smile as the two pounded their fists together.

Soon enough, the heroes were all assembled at the airport where various planes were set up to head to different countries. Since Machop grew up in Paris, her flight was headed there. Torchic had scheduled a flight to America while Venipede was headed to Hungary. And Rinko was going to Germany with Vigoroth taking a flight to Algeria.

Of course, Meloetta, Eiko, Isamu and Kelani were there to see them off. Machop gave Eiko a hug as she said, "Do an awesome job," Isamu nodding and adding, "Yeah, knock them dead."

"I hope you'll be able to watch my matches," Machop replied, "I'm not sure if they'll actually record the French tournament here."

"Someone will likely upload them online, anyway," Isamu replied with a shrug as Kelani blinked and asked, "What line?"

Eiko chuckled and said, "I'll teach you all about that later," as Isamu sighed, "Tell him which sites are safe. He may actually be able to defend himself, but we don't want him running into suspicious people on the Internet."

Meloetta gave every one of her hero friends a hug before seeing them off. Needless to say, she would certainly miss them during the time they would be gone, though she felt grateful that the Olympics would be held in Tokyo. This way, if all of them qualified, they would still return here.

And just as the heroes boarded their respective planes, Isamu asked, "So you're sure you don't wanna sign up? You were actually born in Japan. You don't have to leave the country."

"I know, but I only fight to protect people," Meloetta replied with a sweet smile, "The others may be okay with fighting each other, but I'd rather not do that."

"I agree," Kelani replied with a nod of his head, "Friends shouldn't fight," as Isamu sighed, "It's not like these are bitter fights to the death."

Of course, in Osaka, Jackalu was getting ready to take off to England. Meanwhile, his ally was ready to board a plane to Switzerland.

She was a tall and slender cyan shrimp with a single black stripe on each of her body segments and another one covering the middle of her face, two small yellow eyes on the sides. She had very skinny legs and three spikes on top of her head. She had two dark-blue claws with her right one being fairly normal in size and similar to lance. Her left claw was five times bigger, so big that it looked more like a costume prop than an actual hand. Coming from its sides were long yellow antennae.

"Well, Clawitzer, guess we won't be seeing each other for a while," Jackalu said with a grin as the shrimp nodded and held out her small claw, saying, "Good luck in London. You'll need it."

"What do you mean I'll need it?" Jackalu retorted with a smirk, "You know I'll win," as the shrimp rolled her eyes and sighed, "Just don't get cocky, okay? I wanna see you make it."

The dog nodded and shook her small claw, saying, "See you in the Olympics," before heading to catch his plane, the shrimp waving and boarding hers.

Meanwhile, in Madrid, Gyarados was about to board a plane of her own. She said a quick goodbye to her allies and grinned, thinking, 'Just wait, Machop. We're gonna see each other again, I just know it.'

As it just so happened, Marshal had been pardoned from prison after promising to only use his powers for good. He had also made up with his parents and was currently headed to Japan to try out for the Tokyo tournament. Much like Gyarados, he wanted to see Machop again, mostly to thank her for helping him see the light.

And naturally, both Sneasel and Gigalith were going to try out as well. Sneasel was headed to Denmark while Gigalith was on a flight to Canada. Needless to say, they were beyond excited to have another shot at the spotlight.

And of course, there were a lot more heroes getting ready for this event, all of them headed back to their home countries to try out for the qualification tournaments. While the Hero Olympics was never meant as a good versus evil struggle, it was still a big deal for many and thus humans from all over the world were just as excited for this as the heroes themselves.

But just who would win the championship belt this year? Would Jackalu keep the championship title for his family or would Machop return it to hers? Perhaps the Torch family would finally win it. Maybe Rinko would be the one to ultimately rise to the top and be the very first human to win the Hero Olympics. Only time would tell.


	39. Chapter 39

Note: If you're wondering about Smeargle's appearance here, that's explained in the Ultimate World Team Tournament story.

The week seemed to fly by as twenty-four heroes in each country had applied for the qualification tournaments to decide who would compete in the Olympics. During this time, many of them got in some intense training while also using this as an opportunity to visit their families.

Machop had gone to her old house to spend some quality time with Machoke and Gardevoir. However, she also did this to get in some sparring matches with them, possibly learn a few new techniques for the Paris tournament.

Of course, the fact that the tournament she had signed up for was taking place in her hometown was certainly convenient. It meant that her parents could be there to watch her compete.

Currently, the family was seated for dinner as Machoke said, "I still can't believe that of all people, you're living with Lairon," Gardevoir nodding while pouring some tea and adding, "It's nice to know he and Garchomp are happy."

"Now that you mention it, we're probably gonna have to make a special appearance," Machoke stated, "You know how these events are. They always gotta bring in old Olympic contenders to make an appearance for the crowd."

"Yeah, I think I'll wear the blue jersey for this," Gardevoir replied as Machop smiled sweetly and said, "Yeah, you look really good in that one, Mama," as Machoke uttered, "So you're not gonna wear the red one?"

Gardevoir gasped and nodded, squeaking, "You're right! That one means so much more to me!"

"If you don't mind me asking, why's it such a big deal?" Machop asked as Machoke nodded and said, "It's a bit of a long story, but alright, we'll tell you."

Machoke still remembered way back to the time when Gardevoir had her first match on Earth. She was going up against a lizard named Scrafty and was terrified out of her mind. However, her fear started to leave her when Machoke had her perform an entrance that was supposed to be intimidating but ended up being more comical due to how over-the-top it was.

Part of the entrance involved her dressing up in a black jersey and spiked collar while her hair was spiked up. The hair almost instantly reverted to normal after the entrance, but she kept the jersey and the spiked collar, said collar having never been taken off since, meaning she was still wearing it even to this day.

Unfortunately, the jersey was torn up in the first round of the Hero Olympics fighting tournament. Gardevoir was up against a humanoid rose aptly named Roserade, a pompous hero who found her fashion sense appalling.

There was a point during the match when the rose girl covered her entire body in thorns, thus making it hard for Gardevoir to strike her. However, she got a slight advantage when she used her jersey to cover up Roserade, using that as a perfect opportunity to strike her. Unfortunately, this also resulted in the article of clothing being torn to shreds.

Once the match was over and Gardevoir won, Machoke bought her a red jersey to replace the black one. Needless to say, she absolutely loved it, not only because red went better with her green skin but the fact that he had gone to the trouble meant so much to her.

Back in present time, Machop stared in wonder as Gardevoir stated, "See, the jersey and collar are both a reminder of how much your father helped me get over my fear of fighting and become a real hero. It's special."

Machop nodded with a big smile on her face. As strange as it was to think that her mother, a woman who had won the Ultimate World Team Tournament alongside Machoke, would need clothing to help her get over her fears, the fact that Machoke had even gone to all the trouble to help her was sweet.

Meanwhile, in Texas, Torchic was seated with her family for a big steak dinner in a nice farm on the countryside. Needless to say, it was nice to have the whole family together again, even if it would not last.

Her mother, Blaziken, was also a chicken, but looked a lot more like a phoenix. The majority of her body was covered in red feathers with yellow ones covering her ankles and the area right below her chest. Covering the chest and making up her long hair were white feathers.

Her father was a human by the name of Jerry. His life as a farmer had given him a muscular build. He also had a thin beard and brown hair that went to his shoulders. Currently, he and Blaziken were dressed in traditional Texan attire. Even Torchic had been suited up now that she was back home, though due to her lack of arms, she had some assistance from her parents.

"Sounds to me like you've done an incredible job," Jerry said with a grin, "It's one thing to beat a few villains here and there, but a golem?" Blaziken shrugging and replying, "Hey, it runs in the family. My first victory on Earth was against a big snake made entirely out of rocks."

Torchic and Jerry then sighed, "Yeah, we've all heard the story," as Blaziken grinned and added, "But still, Torchic, I'm mighty proud of you. It's also great that you're fighting alongside Machop."

"Yeah, she's awesome," Torchic said with a grin, "Did I mention we teamed up for a big match?"

"No, you didn't mention that," Blaziken replied with a grin, "Looks like the Raging Bulls live on, eh?" Jerry nodding and replying, "I have no doubt you two kicked some massive tail."

"Still, do your best in the Olympics, but try to remember that winning ain't everything," Blaziken stated, "At first, my entire goal was to outdo the Mach family that I felt robbed my mother of so many first place trophies. But, well, let's just say that mentality was pretty stupid. If I'd kept it up my whole life, I never would have made such awesome friends."

Torchic smiled and nodded as she could not have asked for a better set of friends herself. Though while she definitely took her mother's words to heart, she would still do her absolute best to at least make it to the fighting tournament.

Meanwhile, Venipede was back home in Baja seated on the couch and having small-talk with his parents. They had already finished dinner fairly early, so all they really wanted to do was catch up.

"Well, son, I'm proud of you," his mother, a tall dark-magenta centipede named Scolipede said with an implied smile, "Not only have you mastered my strongest technique, but you've found love. That makes me so happy."

"Yeah, I hope you get to meet Rinko someday," Venipede replied as his father, a young slightly pudgy man named Attila, said, "Actually, I think we will get that chance. Your mother and I decided to take some time off work when the Olympics officially start. In other words, we'll be there to see you compete."

"Wow, really!?" Venipede exclaimed as his eyes implied a big smile, "That's great! With you guys there, I might just do an even better job!"

With that, all three shared a group hug and a quick laugh. But while this went on, Venipede would not forget that he still had to win the qualification tournament to be accepted into the Olympics. Though currently, he would have much rather not thought about that.

Rinko had returned to Berlin to spend some time with her mothers. Currently, she and a green reptilian mantis, namely Scyther, were sparring in the back yard while Reika watched. They figured this would be the best way to burn off all the calories from dinner.

Rinko had just struck Scyther in the midsection with her arm, shouting, "ARM SCHWERT!" as the insect flew into the fence, the section breaking after she made contact. Reika and Rinko both gasped as they ran over, the brunette asking, "You alright, Mother?"

"Ja, I'll be fine," Scyther replied with a grin, "Though I have to admit, I'm impressed. Even without the blade, your Arm Schwert is quite effective."

"Danke," Rinko replied with a sigh, "Though I know I probably shouldn't rely on it too much. I faced Hippowdon's son during the evaluation match on Hero Planet," Reika nodding and saying, "Oh yeah, he was a tough one. Was his son any worse?"

"I don't know," Rinko replied, "but yeah, he was a challenge. I tried the Arm Schwert on him and it barely did a thing. I tried using Flying Hammer, but I only ended up knocking myself out. I'm afraid of what might happen if I face an opponent that heavy again."

Scyther nodded and replied, "Don't let it get to you. One thing worth note when facing an opponent that big is not to use slam moves. But also, when using the Arm Schwert, aim somewhere weaker on the opponent, like the chin or the arm. I may have won by striking Hippowdon's belly, but, well, as you can see..."

She then lashed out a pair of blades from the bottoms of her arms before retracting them, Reika nodding as she said, "Instead of worrying about your weaknesses, try to work around them. Seriously, you're the only human alive with the strength to stand up to a fellow hero. At the very least, I'm sure you can make it far."

Rinko nodded with a big smile as Scyther decided to call it a day and relax. They had already gotten in a lot of training, so the insect saw no need to continue for the time being.

Vigoroth was the only member of the group not spending time with her family. As much as she would have loved to see her father, the deal was that if she was to continue fighting, she had to deny all ties with the kingdom. Though she was fine with it, so it did not eat away at her.

Currently, she was staying at a hotel in Oran where the qualification tournament she had signed up for was set to take place. During her time, she had made friends with one of the other participants.

He was a young boy with a long pointy nose and a perfectly round head with a leaf on top. Covering his eyes and nose was a white mask shaped like a butterfly. His thighs were big and bulky and wrapped in white bandages. His name was Nuzleaf.

Currently the two were out for a walk through town as Vigoroth asked, "Just to be certain, you know we'll probably have to face each other in the tournament, right?" the boy nodding and replying, "Yeah, I know. Don't think I'm gonna hold back just because you're a member of royalty, let alone my friend. When we fight, I'm gonna clean your clock."

"That's what you think," Vigoroth replied with a smirk as she wrapped one arm around his neck and gave him a noogie with the other. Needless to say, they would not hold back despite their new friendship.

The next week passed by, and it felt even quicker than the first. All the heroes could think about right now was who they would face in the qualification tournaments and just how good they would do. Would they be able to win all three matches? Would they qualify for the Olympics? And if they did, how would they become a part of the top sixteen to partake in the final event? The tension was killing them, but it also motivated them to train much harder than ever before.

And soon enough, the big day came. With both weeks finally up, it was time for the qualification tournaments to begin. And needless to say, the heroes all felt ready for this. And with all three matches happening in the course of a day, the tournaments would be over with quickly. After all, this was only a warmup for the Olympics themselves.

The first two rounds went by quickly for everyone, thus leaving the final matches. And while Machop and her friends had made it this far, these fights would ultimately decide whether or not they would all get to compete in the Olympics.

In Paris, Machop was currently up against a slender flower girl with a white upper body and a green tail with its tip shaped like a spade named Floette. She also had long green eyebrows that resembled pedals and long white floppy ears with yellow rings holding them in place like braids. She also had a big flower strapped to her back, and while this would have normally been illegal to have on her during a match, it was a known fact that she was born with the flower, so it was considered a part of her.

Currently, Machop had Floette's wrist in her grasp as she hurled her into the turnbuckle. The crowd went wild as a woman in the announcer's booth exclaimed, "And Machop sends Floette into the post! Let's see how she gets out of this!"

"COME ON, HONEY!" exclaimed a beagle with three tails with pen tips on the ends of them from the crowd, a tall flower woman adding, "You know how to make up for this!"

The beagle in question was Smeargle while his wife was Florges. Both were good friends of Gardevoir and Machoke, but despite that, they wanted Floette to win. After all, she was their daughter.

Upon hearing their words of encouragement, Floette exclaimed, "Oui!" as she crouched down before propelling herself high into the air.

Machop was unable to respond as Floette landed behind her and ducked down, delivering a sweep kick with her tail. This did not exactly trip Machop, but it did distract her as Floette pulled out her flower and started whipping the back of her head with it. For what was normally a delicate plant, it was surprisingly powerful.

After taking in a few hits, Machop turned around only for Floette to lower the flower and twirl it around, shouting, "PEDAL BLIZZARD!" shooting multiple pedals out and covering Machop in cuts.

The crowd cheered for her only for Machop to ignore the pain, swinging her arm sideways and knocking the flower out of Floette's hand. The flower girl gasped as Machop took full advantage of this, flying toward her with her arm out and shouting, "MOON HOOK!"

Floette took in the blow and coughed up blood as she fell on her back, all going silent among the crowd as Machop landed behind her, breathing heavily. And after ten seconds, the announcer rang the bell and exclaimed, "AND THE ONE REPRESENTING FRANCE IN LE OLYMPICS IS MACHOP!"

The crowd went wild as Machop rose her arms in the air, a proud grin on her face. All the while, Floette's parents took a deep breath as Smeargle said, "At least she lost to Machoke's daughter," Florges nodding and replying, "Oui. I'll never forget the day he brought us together."

Machop knelt down and helped Floette up, asking, "You okay?" Floette nodding and replying, "Oui. You were incroyable. I hope you win the Olympics," both shaking hands as the crowd cheered even louder.

"It's also tres magnifique when opponents in the ring become amis," the announcer sniffed while letting down light tears, "I love this job."

Meanwhile, in Texas, Torchic was up against a pink cow with a white belly. She had a long thin tail with a black sphere on the end and hood-like markings around her head of the same colour. Her name was Miltank.

Currently, Torchic was sending an onslaught of rapid kicks into her face while using them to keep herself in the air. The crowd was cheering wildly as a man behind the announcer's booth exclaimed, "Torchic is just whaling on that calf! Can she possibly get out of this!?"

After taking in a few more kicks, Miltank threw her arms up and took hold of the chicken's ankles with fury in her expression, shouting, "I don't think so!" before leaping into the air and lifting her up. She then threw her arms downward during her descent, slamming Torchic's back into the canvas.

The chicken coughed up a bit of blood as the crowd cheered, the announcer shouting, "And just as it seemed that Torchic had this in the bag, Miltank counters with a powerbomb!"

With that, the cow leapt high into the air and smirked, saying, "Ain't nothing personal. I just wanna win," before descending toward Torchic.

However, the chicken easily recovered and rolled backwards as Miltank's rear end hit the mat hard. The crowd gasped as Torchic exclaimed, "BLAZE KICK!" leaping at the cow with her talons on fire and kicking her hard in the back of the head, knocking her on her chin.

The crowd cheered wildly as Blaziken got up from the crowd and exclaimed, "YEAH, SHOW HER WHO'S BOSS!" only to notice Miltank still moving.

Torchic saw this as well as she wasted no time wrapping her legs around one of hers, using her beak to pull on the foot while twisting that very spot. After thirty seconds, Miltank tapped her hoof against the mat and grunted, "I give up."

The crowd went wild as Torchic released her hold, the announcer shouting, "And with that infamous Torch Family Special, Torchic makes her way to the Olympics!" Blaziken and Jerry giving her a standing ovation.

In Budapest, Venipede was up against a yellow sheep with a white belly and no wool named Ampharos. She had conical ears with black stripes and a red orb on her forehead. Her arms resembled flippers and each of her feet had a single nail. She had a long tail with three black stripes and a red orb on the tip.

Venipede was currently sending a barrage of punches into the sheep as she was covered in wounds from the match. All the while, the centipede was covered in burns. It was clear that this match had gone for quite a while.

After enough hits, Venipede proceeded to send a hard one into Ampharos' forehead as she cried out in pain and fell on her back. The crowd went wild as a man exclaimed, "And Venipede takes Ampharos down with a furious onslaught! Can she get up from this, folks!?"

Just as Venipede was about to finish her off, the sheep opened her eyes and used her arms to propel herself off the mat. She then flew toward the ropes and pressed up against them while her body was covered in electricity. And once she bounced off the ropes, her skull was pointed at Venipede's belly as she exclaimed, "ZAP CANNON!" making contact with the centipede.

Electricity coursed through Venipede's veins as he thought about how much he would end up wasting his mom and dad's vacation time if he lost. Thus he ignored the pain and latched his middle arms onto Ampharos'. He then leaned forward as her electricity faded, the sheep soon forced under his weight.

The crowd went wild as he proceeded to wrap all six arms and his legs around her, using his top arms to pull on her chin while shouting, "CENTIPEDE BACKBREAKER!"

After a minute of squirming, using electricity every few seconds in an attempt to shake Venipede off, Ampharos realized she was wasting her time and effort. Thus she let out a sigh and tapped her right arm against the mat, groaning, "I give up."

The bell was rung as Venipede's victory was official, the centipede releasing the sheep as he rose his top arms in the air. The crowd went wild as the announcer exclaimed, "I heard stories about how much of a loser this guy used to be, but look at him now! He's representing Hungary in the Hero Olympics!"

'Exactly,' Venipede thought as a light tear rolled down his cheek, 'No more will I be the punching bag of the Tokyo team.'

In Berlin, Rinko had ended up with the kind of opponent she did not wish to have. He was a large brownish-grey rhino with two horns shaped like drills, a big one on his snout and a small one on his forehead. His tail was like a club and orange rocky plates covered his midsection like a belt with formations similar to shoulder straps on the sides. He had blade-like protrusions on his elbows and a small hole on each of his palms. His name was Rhyperior.

Rinko had just taken in his right elbow to the face as she backed up, coughing up blood as the crowd stared with concern. It seemed that the brunette had taken in a bad beating up to this point as she was covered in bruises and it looked as if her shoulders had been pierced.

Rhyperior, all the while, gritted his teeth and growled, "You know, your mother defeated my father in the qualification tournament. I was hoping my revenge would be more satisfying than this."

Rinko gritted her teeth before noticing Reika and Scyther cheering her on from the crowd, Scyther exclaiming, "REMEMBER WHAT I TOLD YOU!"

Before she could do so, she noticed Rhyperior pointing his palms at her while shouting, "DRILL CANNON!" shooting a spinning horn out of each.

There was no way she would allow this to hit as she leaned backward, allowing the horns to fly over her as they cut open the top rope behind her instead. Rhyperior frowned as he charged at her with his regular horns spinning and shouting, "DRILL HORN!"

But just as he was about to strike Rinko, she waited for just the right moment, readying her hand. And just as the rhino was close enough, she sent it upward into his chin, shouting, "ARM SCHWERT!"

The crowd went wild as this ended up dealing considerable damage, Rhyperior's eyes and mouth wide with shock. He then fell on his back and lay there for ten seconds as a woman rang the bell, stating, "It was close for Rinko, but it would seem that after a fierce struggle, she is our winner and the one representing Germany in the Hero Olympics! Never before has a human entered this event! This is truly an exciting moment folks!"

The crowd went wild as Rinko rose her arms in the air, a big open-mouth smile on her face as her mothers applauded her. Scyther was especially happy to have seen her use her advice to defeat a big and heavy opponent.

In Oran, it turned out Vigoroth's final opponent was Nuzleaf. Currently, the two were sending rapid punches toward one-another, their fists clashing with each attempt.

"And these two just continue to go at it!" a young woman exclaimed, "Their spirit, drive and speed have gotten them this far, but will either of those traits be enough to win either one the match!?"

After a few more punches, the heroes leapt away from each other and breathed heavily, Nuzleaf grinning and saying, "You're the greatest opponent I've ever had," Vigoroth replying, "You're pretty awesome too. Thanks for not holding back."

"Hey, what are friends for?" Nuzleaf asked as he lifted up his arm, batting his hand up against his leaf and spinning it around. He then rose into the air and shouted, "LEAF PROPELLER!"

With that, he headed toward the sloth with his leaf pointed toward her. However, she was ready for this as she stretched her arms out, piercing her shoulders with her claws. Her arms did take in small cuts from the leaf, but she ignored this as she leaned backwards, lifting Nuzleaf over her head.

"SLOTH SUPLEX!" she exclaimed as she rammed the back of his head hard against the canvas, Nuzleaf's eyes and mouth wide with shock as he coughed up blood.

Once Vigoroth released her hold, she took many deep breaths as Nuzleaf was down for exactly ten seconds. Thus the announcer rang the bell and exclaimed, "And Princess Vigoroth moves on to represent Algeria in the Hero Olympics!" the crowd going wild.

Vigoroth rose her right hand in the air before looking down at Nuzleaf. Luckily, she had not dealt too much damage as the boy slowly rose to his feet, rubbing the back of his head and shooting the sloth a grin. He then gave her a thumb up as she nodded and returned the gesture.

In London, Jackalu was currently up against a slender sky blue serpent dragon with white down her front named Dragonair. She had a very long body and delicate arms. She had two wings on the sides of her head and a small horn in the middle. Finally, she had a blue orb attached to her neck and two more around the tip of her tail.

Currently, the dog was having trouble as the serpent quickly shifted around the area. Once his guard was dropped, she exclaimed, "DRAGON TAIL!" the orbs glowing as she slapped them hard against his cheek.

This caused him to cough up a bit of blood as the crowd cheered for Dragonair, a female announcer saying, "And it doesn't look good for Jackalu. If he loses this match, he'll be the first member of the Adair family not to qualify for the Olympics."

"As if that's gonna happen!" Jackalu spat with a smirk as he noticed the tail coming for him again. Thus he held up his paw with the wrist pointed toward the incoming tail, his spikes piercing the orbs as Dragonair's eyes widened.

Not only were his spikes now lodged into the tail, but they had also put small cracks in them. And it would only get worse as Jackalu lifted up his other paw and added to the pressure with this spikes.

"I'll admit, you are quite lovely, but I intend to win," Jackalu said with a smirk as he lifted her over his head and shouted, "SPIKE SUPLEX!" planting her chin hard against the canvas as she grunted in pain, her eyes spinning.

After ten seconds, the announcer exclaimed, "And with a move never before seen by his family, Lucario wins the match and represents England in the Hero Olympics!"

The crowd went wild as Jackalu's eyes sparkled, the dog blowing them all kisses and shouting, "OH, THANK YOU EVER SO MUCH! YOU LIKE ME! YOU REALLY, REALLY LIKE ME!" as some members of the crowd, specifically those who knew him back when he went to a normal school, groaned and slapped their foreheads.

However, it got even worse as he pulled out two dog biscuits and started to twirl them like batons while singing, "If you're feeling down and need to lose that frown, try a Biscrok, it's biscuit-licious!"

At that moment, even those supporting him were annoyed by his showboating as some hurled cans at him. Despite that, though, the dog was more than happy to represent his country. Perhaps he could move on to win the championship just like his father had.

Currently, Gyarados was competing in Hofn. Her opponent was a brown deer with a cream-coloured belly named Sawsbuck. Atop his antlers were green leaves, though it was said the plants growing on said spots changed with each season.

Currently, he was down on all fours as he charged at Gyarados, shouting, "HORN LEECH!" a green light forming on the tips of his antlers.

But just as he was about to make contact, the serpent took hold of those very spots and pulled him upright. She then bit into his shoulder as he cried out in pain. She then leapt toward the turnbuckle and shouted, "DRAGON DIVE!" ramming the back of his neck into the top of that very object.

The deer coughed up blood as Gyarados allowed him to collapse, a male announcer starting a ten count. And soon enough, he reached said number and rang the bell, shouting, "And Gyarados represents Iceland in the Hero Olympics!" the crowd cheering wildly.

In Edmonton, Gigalith was up against a blue lynx with a black mane and lower body named Luxio. She had a yellow star on her tail and matching stripes on her arms.

Currently, she was whaling on the golem with her tail only for Gigalith to grab hold of it. Her eyes widened as he lifted her up and released the tail. Once she was low enough, he took hold of her legs and slammed her belly hard against the mat for a powerbomb, the bell ringing as his victory was official.

In Odense, Sneasel was facing a big blue whale with with four fins for hands, small beady eyes and a white belly named Wailord. He had currently placed the cat on his blowhole as she hissed furiously, trying to get off only to be blasted into the air as the whale shouted, "WATER SPOUT PILEDRIVER!"

But just as he managed to reach her height, the cat smirked and flipped backwards. The whale gasped as she managed to shift herself behind him, planting the claws on her hands into the sides of his head and the ones on her legs into his waist.

She then flipped backwards like a wheel and shouted, "YARN BALL!" planting his face hard against the mat as her victory was official. The cat rose her arms in the air as the crowd cheered wildly.

In Bern, Clawitzer was up against a brown rat with big buck teeth named Raticate. Currently, he was leaping from rope to rope, striking the shrimp with his teeth each time and shouting, "HYPER FANG!"

After the fifth strike, Clawitzer could take no more as she shouted, "CRABHAMMER!" swinging her big claw into the side of his head and sending him flying into the turnbuckle.

This was more than enough to finish him off as the bell rang, a woman shouting, "And with that, Clawitzer moves on to represent Switzerland in the Hero Olympics!" the shrimp holding up her big claw with pride and thinking, 'I did it. I just hope Jackalu did the same.'

In Tokyo, Marshal was fighting a blue frog with a white scarf made of bubbles named Frogadier. Currently she had his neck trapped in place thanks to her tongue as she shouted, "TONGUE NOOSE!"

The crowd cheered as a male announcer shouted, "Frogadier is definitely the granddaughter of the mighty Greninja, alright! With her stealth and mad skills, Marshal might just lose this!"

"Says you!" the tan boy retorted as he took hold of the tongue and used all his might to lift the frog up, planting her skull into the mat. As she rose to her feet, he took full advantage of her current state as he wrapped his hands around her head for a sleeper hold. He then leapt high into the air and leaned sideways, planting the frog's head into the mat while shouting, "SLEEPER HOLD SUPLEX!"

And with that, Marshal had won the right to represent China as the crowd cheered for him. Throh and Sawk were also among the crowd giving him a standing ovation as he waved to them with a light smile and thought, 'Being good's not so bad after all.'

More and more heroes from around the globe had won their respective qualification matches as well and soon enough, hundreds were ready for the Olympics. But who would win it all? Only time would tell.


	40. Chapter 40

It had been a week since the qualification tournaments came to a close. Thus came the day when the Olympics would finally begin. All of the heroes had prepared themselves for this and there was no way they would back down.

Of course, in order for those from other countries to compete, they all had to take planes to Tokyo while those close by took the bullet train. Needless to say, there were a lot booking hotel rooms for this event, especially since some heroes had their folks taking time off work to watch the event in person. In other words, Venipede's parents were not the only ones.

Currently, everyone was assembled at the Tokyo Dome for the opening ceremony, Beedrill seated with Yuki and Nori and exclaiming, "We are at the Tokyo Dome and things could not be more exciting! Everyone has come here to see these heroes compete, and it's finally about to begin!"

"I've certainly been looking forward to this," Nori stated, "I can't wait to see who's qualified," Yuki nodding and adding, "Though I have no doubt in my mind that Machop is among them."

At this time, Machop was in the back with the other heroes, getting ready while Lairon smiled and said, "I'm so proud of you, Machop. I had a feeling you'd make it this far," the girl grinning and replying, "Yeah, and I'm gonna go even farther! Just you wait!"

She then narrowed her eyelids and asked, "You're not planning any big entrances for me, are you?" Lairon shaking his head and replying, "Oh no. This isn't a match. Just look natural and wave to the crowd, though wear this. It'll make you stand out."

With that, he pulled out a pair of wrist bands along with a headband, all three having pictures of flames on them. The dinosaur grinned and explained, "These are the clothes your father and grandfather wore to their biggest matches."

Machop's eyes sparkled as she placed them on, saying, "Wow, this is so cool. Thank you," before hugging the dinosaur and adding, "Seriously, if it hadn't been for you, I probably wouldn't be here right now."

Lairon chuckled and patted her back, replying, "Don't mention it, kid."

With that, the dinosaur wished her the best of luck before exiting the area. After all, since he was not a participant, he had to watch from the bleachers just like everyone else.

At that moment, Machop felt a tap on her shoulder as she turned and saw a boy standing before her, saying, "Hey there, Machop. It's nice to see you after all this time," the girl's eyes sparkling.

Standing before her was her cousin, specifically the son of Gardevoir's brother, Gallade. This boy had a green skull that resembled a gladiator helmet with a blue spike on top. The rest of him was white as he had two cape-like protrusions hanging down his back. His hips were round and his forearms were like blades with red plates attached to the edges.

"It's nice to see you too, Gallador," Machop said with a grin as the boy nodded and added, "Glad to see we're both representing France in this tournament, but don't think for a minute I'm gonna let you walk all over me. You Machs have been enjoying victory for a while, but now it's time for a member of the Beaulieu clan to take the prize!"

"Technically, I am also a Beaulieu, but I see your point," Machop replied as Gallador nodded and sighed, "Yeah, Dad never made it past the first event, but I intend to do just that."

"Hey there, Machop!" came another familiar voice, this one British as the girl turned and saw Jackalu approach her along with Clawitzer, the shrimp blinking and saying, "Oh my god, you really did meet a member of the Mach family."

"Hey there," Machop said with a grin, "Good to see you made it too. Maybe we'll get to face off in the finals just like our daddies, eh?"

"Yeah, and I'm gonna clean your clock just like Dad cleaned your pop's," Jackalu replied with a smirk as Gallador retorted, "Not if I claim that honour, first!"

The dog blinked as Machop chuckled and said, "This is my cousin, Gallador," Jackalu nodding and replying, "Well, it's a pleasure to meet you," before holding out his paw as Gallador shook it with a grin.

Clawitzer tapped her right foot and folded her arms as Jackalu nodded and said, "This here's my ally in Osaka, Clawitzer," the shrimp nodding and saying, "Yeah, if I wasn't around, Jackalu wouldn't be nearly as good as he is now."

"Hey, what are you saying!?" Jackalu retorted, "I'm awesome sauce!" as Clawitzer rolled her eyes and held out her smaller claw, saying, "Anyway, it's a pleasure to meet you, Machop. I've always looked up to your father, and I hear you're at least as good as he was."

Machop shook her claw and said, "I just realized something. You're Clauncher's daughter, aren't you?" the shrimp blinking and uttering, "Honestly, I'm kinda surprised you're the first one to notice that right away. For some reason, my big claw gives people a different impression."

"Guess Torchic's got some good competition for the American side, eh?" Machop asked as Jackalu replied, "No, she's from Switzerland," Clawitzer nodding and sighing, "I could have told her that myself."

"Wait, you're Swiss?" Machop asked as the shrimp nodded and explained, "Yeah, while it's true that my mom was born and raised in Florida, she moved to Switzerland after marrying Dad. So I'm officially Swiss," Jackalu adding, "I know that because my pop's her mom's best friend."

Gallador grinned and said, "Well, it's awesome meeting all of you. I hope I get a chance to face at least one of you in the tournament," the others nodding in agreement as Machop grinned, "Granted I don't beat him first."

During this time, Garchomp was seated along with Machop's other friends who were not competing. Kelani looked around with his eyes sparkling and his mouth wide open, squealing, "Wow, this is so cool! I've never been in such a big place with so many people!"

Eiko nodded and giggled, replying, "Yeah, get used to it. You'll be coming here a lot," Isamu shaking his head and replying, "I thought you of all people would know that might not be the case. Remember, ever since the twenty-first Hero Olympics, they've had it so every match takes place in a different location for the first couple of rounds. The Tokyo Dome is usually saved for the final match."

"Oh yeah," Eiko replied before sticking out her tongue, "Silly me," Noboru chuckling and saying, "I just can't wait to see Machop. She was so happy about this."

Isamu nodded and said, "I wouldn't be surprised if she wins the whole thing," Eiko replying, "Yep, her grandpa was the world champion twice in a row. If anyone can pull this off, she can."

"I don't care who wins," Meloetta replied with a smile, "I'm just glad they're having fun with this," Garchomp nodding and replying, "Just wait. The fighting tournament itself can get pretty dramatic depending on who's fighting."

At that moment, Lairon joined them as the dragon grinned and said, "Welcome back, honey," kissing him on the cheek.

"Alright, this is it, folks!" Beedrill exclaimed, "The heroes are ready, so it's finally time for the Hero Olympics opening ceremony! One-by-one, representatives of these countries will walk down the runway with the country this year's event is taking place in going last. And much like the twenty-second Hero Olympics, we will begin with France!"

"Wow, Machop's first?" Isamu asked as the crowd cheered, Machop entering the ring with a big grin on her face as she waved to the crowd.

"Wow, Machop's wearing the famous Mach family bands for this event!" Nori exclaimed, "That's certainly nothing to scoff at!" Beedrill nodding and adding, "She also looks very dignified. I don't think I need to remind you of Machoke's embarrassing entrance when he fought in the Olympics."

Both announcers looked back to that ceremony and remembered how Machoke had forgotten his special costume that he had made for the event. As a result, he ended up borrowing the outfits from a group of female dancers who had come to perform at the event. While he did not feel so embarrassed by all the people laughing, his trainer, Aipom and Sawk, who was a Japanese representative at the time, were both humiliated beyond belief.

"OH MY GOD, YOU LOOK SO COOL!" Eiko squealed as Kelani clapped, Isamu smiling and giving the girl a thumb up.

Of course Gallador was next to her and waving to the crowd while joining them was the third French representative, a green frog named Politoed. Needless to say, the crowd was certainly excited to see what these three could do.

Next up was Ireland followed by the African countries, including Algeria. Vigoroth waved to the cheering crowd as her friends whistled for her. Along with her was a flower girl named Vileplume and a purple cat named Purrloin.

Many more came by as soon enough, the German representatives entered. Rinko had the biggest smile on her face as she happily walked down the runway along with a yellow and red fox named Delphox and a white squirrel named Pachirisu. Though one thing that really stood out was that it seemed the brunette had grown her hair out a bit as it was fairly long and in a ponytail. It seemed ever since she stopped wearing her Mantis mask, she could now risk letting her hair grow.

England soon came around as Jackalu entered and waved to the crowd along with Fraxure and a mole named Drilbur. And not too far behind was Iceland, Gyarados joined by plesiosaur named Lapras and a red and white penguin named Delibird.

Next up was America with Torchic smiling at the crowd. She was joined by a white horse with a burning mane named Ponyta and a white seagull named Wingull. And following close behind was Canada with Gigalith walking along with a blue wolf named Manectric and a blue phoenix-like bird named Altaria.

Hungary was up next with Venipede waving to the crowd, his parents giving him the same gesture. Joining him was a blue blob-like creature with a black beaver tail that had eyes named Wynaut and a purple balloon named Drifblim.

Some people were snapping photos as one exclaimed, "Hey, Wynaut, look this way!" the creature shrugging and replying, "Eh, why not?" before posing for the camera.

Next up were the Danish heroes. Walking down the runway with Sneasel was a white sea lion with a horn named Dewgong along with a green dinosaur named Larvitar.

Many others came along as well until finally, it was time for the Japanese representatives to show themselves. Marshal held a fist high into the air with a serious look on his face, Throh and Sawk applauding him along with their wives.

Joining the tan boy was Hariyama and a small steel dinosaur with big blue eyes and a helmet that resembled a skull named Aron. Lairon and Garchomp could not resist the urge to cheer for him, the small dinosaur turning to them and waving lightly.

"Is that your son?" Eiko asked as Lairon nodded and replied, "Yep. As much as I'd love to see Machop win the Olympics, I can't but support my boy."

Garchomp nodded as Meloetta smiled and said, "That's sweet. I'm sure he greatly appreciates it."

Soon enough, all of the heroes stopped walking around as Beedrill stated, "And there you have it, folks, all of our contestants for the Hero Olympics! With all said and done, it's time for the first event!"

Since the Hero Olympics had become more frequent as of late, people were used to the events starting after the opening ceremony, but only those who were familiar with this. Newcomers like Meloetta, Kelani and Isamu, on the other hand, did not understand this at all.

"Isn't it a little early for this?" the boy asked as Eiko shook her head and replied, "I thought so the first time I watched this, but no, this is normal. They get all the sporting events out of the way as soon as possible to narrow the number of fighters down to sixteen."

"That must be a lot of events," Isamu uttered as Garchomp shook her head and replied, "No, it's only three events. The final event is pretty much the ultimate test. The first two are to make sure that event doesn't get too chaotic. Trust me, I was once a part of this. That third event is brutal."

Meloetta and Kelani were concerned now as Beedrill stated, "And as is tradition, we begin the Hero Olympics with the ultimate test of luck, Rock, Paper, Scissors!" an image of a golem named Graveler, a pile of sludge named Muk and Scyther appearing a screen, each veteran hero representing the specific item.

"Wait, they start every one of these with this?" Machop uttered as Vigoroth groaned, "This is a waste of my talents!"

Jackalu simply smirked and said, "Whatever. I'm the Rock, Paper, Scissors king," as Clawitzer slapped her forehead and shook her head.

At that moment, the shrimp was handed three signs along with a few other heroes as Beedrill explained, "As we all know, some heroes are incapable or more than just one or two of these items due to how their hands are designed, thus we will provide them with signs representing said items. So if you pick rock, just hold up the sign with the picture of the rock. It's that simple."

Meloetta beamed and said, "How thoughtful," Lairon nodding and sighing, "Back in my day, we didn't have such a luxury. Anyone without at least three fingers was out of luck. I'm glad they've added this feature."

With that, all of the heroes were instructed to turn to the ones standing next to them as only half could advance to the next event. And sure enough, Machop and her friends all managed to win as they were more than happy to advance.

Gallador was especially thrilled as he thought, 'This is the event that got Dad. I hope you're watching, cause I'm gonna breeze through the next two events.'

With half the participants eliminated, Eiko breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Well, they all did it," Isamu sighing, "You know, I have to admit, I was disappointed at first, but that was kind of intense."

"With that out of the way, it's time to move onto the second event!" Beedrill exclaimed as he brought up a sign that said 'Save the Damsel in Distress'.

Everyone stared as Lairon uttered, "What's he doing bringing this back? I thought he didn't like this concept," as Garchomp said, "Wait, look."

Everyone else soon looked and noticed a wooden dummy that resembled a demon rise up with its arms wrapped around a young woman. However, the woman looked calm as Beedrill explained, "This was an event my father put together for the twenty-second Olympics, though quite frankly, I didn't like his version that much. His involved actual people dangling high above the ground and being dropped with a safety mat being the only thing preventing them from actually being hurt. I've decided not to go to such extremes."

The people breathed a sigh of relief as Garchomp folded her arms and said, "Machoke was right. This guy's a much better chairman than Weedle," as Eiko uttered, "He actually tried something like that."

The woman blinked and whimpered, "Mister chairman, sir, I don't mean to complain, but this is really uncomfortable," Beedrill nodding and saying, "Alright, now for those unaware, I may as well explain how this works. Two heroes will race toward the dummy. Whoever makes it first and frees the damsel from his or her captivity wins."

"Oh, so there are men too?" one of the heroes asked as Beedrill nodded and replied, "Of course. Sure, the word damsel does refer to women, but we prefer to diversify. That means some of the people you'll have to save include children, the elderly and obese people. In short, most villains tend not to discriminate when it comes to hostages, so there you go. Heck, Machoke's damsel back in the day was the guy who owns the local aquarium."

Many people were surprised to hear this, though this certainly sounded intriguing and, most of all, fair. Eiko blinked and uttered, "I met that guy once. He kinda scares me," Isamu shrugging and replying, "He's a really nice guy when you actually get to know him."

With all said and done, the first match-up was chosen as Venipede was up against Vileplume. The flower girl grinned menacingly at him as Beedrill stated, "Heroes are allowed to rely on any tactics in order to win, and that includes attacking their opponents to slow them down."

"Oh boy, I thought this was in the bag before, but not so much," Machop uttered as Rinko shrugged and replied, "I know he can do it. Have a little faith."

Meloetta blinked and uttered, "Why is that allowed? Isn't everyone here a hero?" as Garchomp nodded and replied, "It's to test their skills. The idea is that if they were to face a villain in these events, they would resort to the same thing. This is to make sure the heroes are actually ready for that sort of thing."

With all said and done, Beedrill signalled the start of the race as Venipede was ready to begin. But just as he was about to take off, Vileplume unleashed a powder from her flower and exclaimed, "BLINDING SPORES!"

Venipede cried out in pain as some of it got in his eyes, thus he was unable to concentrate on the race as Vileplume raced ahead. The crowd gasped as Rinko spat, "HEY, WHAT THE HELL!? COME ON, VENIPEDE, ARE YOU GONNA LET HER GET AWAY WITH THAT!?"

"No, no I'm not!" the centipede grunted as he rolled up into a ball and raced along the ground like a wheel, shouting, "CENTIPEDE STEAMROLLER!" his shoulder blades forming and scraping against the ground thus allowing him to move even faster.

And soon enough, he managed to pass Vileplume as her eyes widened, the centipede retracting from his ball-like state once he was close enough to the statue. The woman was afraid he might accidentally hit her, but her fears were put to rest when he spread out his antennae just far enough and shouted, "VENOSHOCK!"

With that, both parts glowed green on the tips as he planted them into the dummy's shoulders. This put a hole in each of them as a mechanism activated thus forcing it to release its hold, Beedrill saying, "And with that, Venipede has won the race."

The crowd went wild as the centipede wiped his eyes, blinking and saying, "I can see again," Vileplume gritting her teeth and stomping her right foot against the ground before storming off.

Scolipede, however, stared in shock and uttered, "He finally mastered the Venoshock," Attila nodding and saying, "Well, he didn't turn the whole antennae green, but yeah, he got it."

Even so, Venipede was beyond happy as the woman bowed her head, saying, "Thank you," the centipede bowing back before returning to the others. Rinko held him in a tight embrace and gave him a peck on the cheek, saying, "Great job out there, big boy."

Venipede's cheeks flushed pink as Scolipede nodded and said, "I have to admit, she's actually quite pretty."

However, this first race was only the beginning. There were still many contestants left and there was no way any of them would hold back.


	41. Chapter 41

With Venipede's race out of the way, the dummy he had pierced was replaced with a new one holding a different person as quite a few contestants went up. After a while, Vigoroth was called up as a big grin formed on her face, the sloth racing toward the starting line and saying, "Alright, show me who I'm gonna save today."

The next 'damsel' was a middle-aged man in a business suit who gulped nervously and uttered, "This thing's not alive, is it?"

"Don't worry, Vigoroth will save you for sure!" Meloetta squealed as Isamu chuckled lightly and said, "You do remember that's not a real demon, right?"

However, Vigoroth's confidence only grew when she noticed who her opponent was. The hero in question was a plump white dog who resembled a cake. He had a collar made of strawberry syrup, pink fluffy hair made of frosting and a big cherry on top. His arms were also incredibly short and stubby, no one able to take his appearance seriously.

"Introducing Vigoroth's opponent, Slurpuff!" Beedrill exclaimed as Machop tried her hardest not to laugh, uttering, "Oh my god, I can't take that seriously!"

Rinko blinked and nodded, saying, "Vigoroth's got this in the bag," as Meloetta uttered, "I hope that Slurpuff guy does his best."

'How did this guy make it to the Olympics?' Vigoroth thought with a look of confusion, 'Maybe his opponents all laughed themselves into comas.'

Either way, she felt more than ready for this as Slurpuff looked up at her with a big smile and said in the cutest voice, "It's nice to meet you, Miss Vigoroth. Here's to a good race," holding out his arm as many girls in the crowd stared at him with hearts in their eyes.

"OH MY GOD, HE'S ADORABLE!" one of them squealed as another added, "I just wanna run in there and pet him!" one girl sighing, "I hope he wins this race. He deserves it."

When Slurpuff stuck his tongue out of the side of his mouth, the crowd was even more into it as some of the men could not help but be entranced. Even Machop's eye was twitching as she was having so much trouble ignoring this, Jackalu folding his arms and sighing, "He's not that cute. Come on, he's supposed to be in his teens yet he sounds like he's six."

Clawitzer blinked and asked, "Are you jealous?" the dog retorting, "Me!? Jealous!? For what reason!?" before folding his arms and looking at Machop with fear in his eyes.

Clawitzer could see it but figured it might not be a good idea to bring it up. As such, she decided to watch the events unfold. If Vigoroth won this race, Slurpuff would not be a problem anymore.

Vigoroth shook his hand and smiled, saying, "Here's to a good race," Meloetta nodding and saying, "At least they're both being good sports about this."

However, Isamu was surprised to see that Eiko of all people was not entranced by Slurpuff's cuteness like everyone else. Instead, she folded her arms and said, "Big deal. Kelani's cuter," the doberman's eyes sparkling as he asked, "You mean it, Mommy?"

"Alright, on your marks, get set, go!" Beedrill exclaimed as the two were off. And just as predicted, Slurpuff was running at an incredibly slow speed while Vigoroth could easily make it to the finish line in less than ten seconds.

But just as she was mere moments away from freeing the business man, her eyes widened when she stopped moving. Even the crowd was amazed as Slurpuff had stretched out his hair like taffy. He then pulled back and exclaimed, "FROSTING LASSO!"

Meloetta squeaked in panic as Slurpuff swung Vigoroth around over his head. The sloth tried her best to cut herself free, but all this did was get her claws stuck as she could not believe this. Until now, she thought Slurpuff's hair merely looked like frosting. She did not think for a minute that it really was made of that substance.

And soon enough, she found herself flung backwards, flying past the starting line and skidding across the ground. Her friends stared down at her then back at Slurpuff as he rammed his cherry into the dummy's forehead, causing it to release its hold on the business man. And thus the cake dog ultimately won the race as the crowd went wild.

Vigoroth rubbed her head and slowly pushed herself up, grunting, "What happened?" as Rinko uttered, "Hate to break it to you, but you just got your ass handed to you on a silver platter by that guy."

"You probably could have worded that better," Torchic replied as she brunette laughed nervously, Vigoroth staring in shock at Slurpuff as he shook the business man's hand with the cutest smile anyone had ever seen.

Garchomp stared and uttered, "Wow, that kid's surprisingly tough," Lairon nodding and saying, "Yeah, the others had better look out for him. He's not to be taken lightly."

With all said and done, Vigoroth let out a sigh and dusted herself off, saying, "Oh well. I lost. Honestly, I'm just happy I got a chance at this," before slugging Torchic on the shoulder and saying, "Now, don't you lose as well, eh?"

"Of course," the chicken replied with a grin, "I have no intention of losing."

Coincidentally, right after she said this, she was the next one called up. Her opponent was a white spherical monkey with messy fur and a pig snout named Mankey.

Both stood by the starting line as Beedrill stated, "Torchic is quite motivated to win this! After all, her mother, Blaziken, failed in this round after sacrificing her victory to save a life! Needless to say, Torchic wants that shot at the championship that her mother never got!"

"Wow, I never knew this was so personal to her," Meloetta uttered as Lairon nodded and said, "I'll tell you all about that when all the events are done. It's actually an incredible story."

With that, the race began as Torchic sprinted forward, the damsel this time around being an elderly woman. However, the chicken was shocked when Mankey leapt toward her and planted his feet into the back of her head, shouting, "EAT DIRT!" planting her face into the ground.

There was no way Torchic would let him win as she growled and used her beak to lift herself up. She then propelled herself toward Mankey's back with her talons on fire and shouted, "BLAZE KICK!" sending them hard into that very spot.

Mankey's eyes widened as he fell forward, his face hitting the ground hard. Thus the chicken sent a burning roundhouse into the dummy's skull, saving the elderly woman's life as the crowd cheered, her victory official.

The elderly woman breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Thank you so very much, Miss Torchic. That thing was very uncomfortable."

After a few more races, Jackalu was up. He shot Machop a grin and a wink as the girl blinked and gave him a thumb up, Clawitzer folding her arms and thinking, 'I knew it.'

His opponent was a pale purple scorpion with two pincers on his tail as opposed to a stinger. With two claws on his round hands, his name was Skorupi.

Before the race could begin, Jackalu rose his arms in the air and exclaimed, "LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, BOYS AND GIRLS, OLD PEOPLE AND, um, EVEN OLDER PEOPLE!"

"Oh no!" Clawitzer groaned as she slapped her forehead, Machop blinking as the dog continued, "Watch and be amazed as I, the mighty Jackalu, son of Lucario, expertly win this race against such a worthy opponent!" Skorupi staring at him and uttering, "What?"

"It is with these mighty feet that I will race my way into first and save this fair damsel in distress!" Jackalu continued until he noticed his 'damsel' was a man with a pretty big belly, tattered clothes and flies buzzing around him due to a big cloud of stench coming from him.

Jackalu's eye twitched as Beedrill asked, "Something wrong?" the dog shaking his head and clearing his throat, but just as he was about to continue his speech, one audience member spat, "JUST START THE RACE ALREADY!"

"Eager to see me win, eh!?" Jackalu replied with a slight look of irritation in his eyes, Clawitzer slapping her claws against her face and shaking her head.

"Is this normal?" Machop asked as the shrimp sighed, "Unfortunately," the others not sure whether to be as surprised as Machop or not. On one hand, he did display some impressive skills when they met him, but on the other hand, he did not seem nearly as serious or intimidating as Lucario.

Eiko stared in confusion and uttered, "That's the son of Lucario?" Isamu shrugging and replying, "Going by the photos I've seen, he does look like him."

"Well, yeah, but Lucario was always threatening and cool," Eiko replied, "This guy just seems like an idiot," Kelani staring at her as she gasped and squeaked, "Never, ever call anyone that!"

With that, Jackalu was finally ready to begin as Skorupi smirked and said, "I'm gonna enjoy making you eat your words," the dog frowning while thinking, 'No, I have to win this, not just for my family's pride but, goddammit, I'm going to impress Machop!'

With that, Beedrill signalled the start of the race as Jackalu raced forward, sprinting far ahead of Skorupi. However, he found himself distracted when he took a good look at his 'damsel' again, thinking, 'I can smell him from here! Damn my strong nose!'

Seeing the dog slow down, Skorupi saw a perfect opportunity as he leapt toward his back and exclaimed, "CROSS POISON!" his claws glowing violet as he was about to slash that very spot.

But just as he was seconds away from landing the attack, Clawitzer snapped, "HEY, JACKALU, BEHIND YOU!" the dog gasping and dodging to the side just in time as Skorupi threw his arms downward in an X formation.

The scorpion's eyes widened as Jackalu's paw had a transparent orb around it. With that, he exclaimed, "FORCE PALM!" sending it hard into Skorupi's cheek, sending him flying out of bounds as Beedrill exclaimed, "And Jackalu no longer has any competition!"

Once the dog was close enough to the dummy, he leapt gracefully toward it, setting up a flying kick. However, the odour coming from the hostage was too much to bear as he held onto his nose, his body shifting backwards until he was upside-down, the back of his head ramming into the dummy's face.

Luckily, since this still counted as hitting the dummy, this was enough to get it to release its hold as the crowd cheered for the dog. Lucario blinked and rose to his feet as the smelly man smiled and said, "Thanks, man. That was painful as hell," before walking off and picking a splinter out of his shoulder.

Hearing the people's cheers, Jackalu suddenly forgot all about the horrible smell as he smiled wide and exclaimed, "AS YOU CAN SEE, I HAVE TRIUMPHED!" striking a cool pose as Machop shrugged and said, "Well, he did it."

But just as the audience was starting to gain respect for the dog, he proceeded to pull out his dog biscuits as Clawitzer groaned, "Oh, come on! Don't do it!"

Unfortunately, she could not stop him in time as he started to dance while twirling the biscuits, singing, "When I wake up in the morning, I feel so sad! I get this impression that my day will be bad! But then I try a Biscrok, the greatest thing, a bone that you can crunch, makes me wanna sing!"

"What the hell is he doing?" Torchic uttered as Rinko asked, "What am I watching?"

"If you're feeling down and need to lose that frown," Jackalu continued, "try a Biscrok, it's biscuit-licious!"

Everyone stared in stunned silence including Beedrill as he uttered, "That's great. Can you get off the runway so I can announce the next two contestants?"

"Oh, of course," Jackalu replied with a light bow, "Pardon me, good sir," making his way back to the others as Meloetta smiled and said, "I thought it was catchy," the others face-palming.

Kelani, meanwhile, blinked and asked, "Can I have a Biscrok?" as Eiko giggled and replied, "Sure."

"You may have to ask Jackalu for some," Isamu replied, "I don't think they sell that brand here."

Soon enough, Gyarados was up as her opponent was a blue otter with a red nose named Dewott. He smirked at the serpent and said, "You may be tougher than me, but you're probably nowhere near as fast," before noticing her head start to expand slightly.

The otter rubbed his eyes and thought, 'I must have imagined that,' before turning toward the damsel, who was a small child acting as if being in the arms of a 'demon' was the coolest thing ever.

Beedrill then signalled the start of the race as Dewott sprinted off. However, everyone gasped when Gyarados did not even move, Machop uttering, "Hey, Gyarados, what are you doing?"

All became clear as she spewed out a blast of water, forming a flat slide as she leapt onto it. It then pulled her toward the finish line much faster than Dewott was moving as she held her arm out, shouting, "WATER SLIDE HOOK!"

The otter's eyes and mouth were wide open as he took the arm to the back of his neck, falling flat on his face. And once Gyarados was close enough, she leapt off the water and planted her tail into the dummy's forehead, causing it to let go of the child.

His eyes sparkled as he had a wide smile on his face, squealing, "Oh my gosh, I was rescued from the clutches of evil! That's so cool!" Gyarados sighing, "Just don't let any real demons kidnap you, okay?"

Next up were Gallador and Marshal, the tan boy asking, "Hey, you're Machop's cousin, right?"

"Yeah," the white boy replied as Marshal bowed his head and said, "Machop's pretty amazing. She helped me see the light. I hope I get to face her."

"Well, we'll see about that," Gallador replied with a smirk as Beedrill signalled the start of the race, both heroes taking off.

Gallador was much faster than the tan fighter and thus he easily made it to the finish line first, shouting, "PSYCHO CUT!" and swinging his right arm sideways, chopping off the dummy's head thus winning himself the race.

Marshal let out a sigh as he reached the finish line shortly after, holding up his hand and saying, "I have to say, I definitely can't match speed like that," Gallador nodding and shaking his hand. Needless to say, Meloetta was pleased to see at least two heroes not resort to violence in order to win.

Unfortunately, the same happened to Gigalith, who was easily outrun by Delphox. Once she reached the finish line, she lit her hand on fire and sent a light jab into the dummy's forehead, putting a slit there thus causing it to release the person it was holding.

The golem slowly walked away from the area with his head down as Sneasel gave him a thumb up, saying, "Hey, you did your best, man! Don't worry, I'll win this for the both of us!"

Ironically, Sneasel just happened to be the next one as her opponent was Pachirisu. The squirrel smirked at her and said, "Today, the rodent defeats the cat."

"You know dogs are the ones who generally oppose squirrels, right?" Sneasel remarked as Beedrill signalled the start of the race, Pachirisu sprinting forward and shouting, "SWIFT LIGHTNING!"

As a result, electricity surrounded his body as he picked up the pace. However, Sneasel was not about to let him win as she went down on all fours, her ear feather glowing as she spat, "FEATHER SWORD!"

Pachirisu figured this was but an empty threat as he knew the cat would have to catch up with him for this to finish him off. His eyes widened when not only did Sneasel managed to do just that, she also slashed him on the side but did not put too much forced into it. After all, she was a hero now and thus she did not wish to injure another member of that profession so horribly.

Even so, with blood trickling from his side, Pachirisu could not help but end his run as he gritted his teeth, growling, "Damn you!" the cat leaping at the dummy and putting multiple scratches into its head thus freeing a teenaged girl.

Next up was Clawitzer going up against Aron. Lairon and Garchomp both cheered for him as even Machop wanted to see what he could do.

Aron glanced up at Clawitzer and held up his arm, saying, "Here's to a good race," the shrimp nodding and shaking it, adding, "Likewise."

With that, the race started up as Jackalu exclaimed, "COME ON, CLAWITZER, SHOW THAT DINKY DINO WHO'S BOSS!"

"Hey, that's my teacher's son!" Machop snapped as the dog blinked and shouted, "NEVER MIND!"

Despite his best efforts, Aron was unable to keep up with Clawitzer. Thus the shrimp won with ease, shouting, "CRABHAMMER!" and ramming her big claw hard into the dummy's head.

Soon enough, Rinko was up as her opponent was Drilbur. The mole smirked at her and said, "So you're the famous human with the might of a hero. I gotta say, it's quite the honour."

Rinko bowed her head and replied, "Danke," only for the mole to smirk and add, "An honour to beat you. It may not be in the ring, but a win's a win."

The brunette frowned as Venipede spat, "Don't let him get to you! You're awesome!" as she thought, 'Yeah, I know I can beat this guy,' a light smile on her face as the race began.

Rinko sprinted forward only for Drilbur to dig into the ground, rising up with his head sticking up. The reason he chose to go this route instead of staying underground was soon revealed as he exclaimed, "MUD SLAP!" swinging his claws hard enough to send the dirt toward Rinko's face.

Seeing this, Rinko folded her arms and exclaimed, "ARM SCHWERT!" using said parts to knock the dirt away from her. She may not have been unable to cut it in half like Scyther would have, but her arms were more than strong enough to repel this.

With that in mind, she performed a somersault toward Drilbur and propelled herself into the air when she felt she was close enough. She then planted her foot hard into his skull with an axe kick as he gritted his teeth, his eyes spinning as a big lump formed on that very spot.

With the mole no longer able to move, Rinko made her way to the finish line as she sent a roundhouse into the dummy's side. Thus her damsel, a homeless man who had snuck into the Tokyo Dome, was free as he looked back and forth awkwardly and fled from the area.

Rinko held her arm in the air as the crowd cheered wildly, Meloetta clapping and squealing, "YEAH, YOU TAUGHT THAT MOLE A LESSON!"

Everyone stared in shock as she whimpered, "Well, he was shooting dirt clods at her. He deserved it," Kelani smiling until Eiko said, "If a bully ever picks on you, don't fight back. That's what they want."

And soon enough, Machop was up as Jackalu gave her a round of applause, shouting, "Yeah, you rule, Machop! Win this!" as he pulled out his biscuits one more only for Clawitzer to conk him over the head, grumbling, "We already endured it once this chapter!"

Of course, the others joined in as Torchic exclaimed, "You're the last one up, Machop! Make this an event for the ages!" the girl nodding with a smile.

'Yes, show me more of your miracles,' Isamu thought as Eiko, Noboru and Hana gave her all the encouragement they could muster.

Her opponent was Manectric, the wolf glaring at her and saying, "I don't care if you're the daughter of Machoke. I'm still going to win this," as Machop blinked and uttered, "Geez, you act like this is life or death or something."

"Alright, folks, this is the final race!" Beedrill exclaimed, "Once this is over, we can move onto the final event of the day! With that, let us begin!"

With that, the two sprinted toward the finish line where a girl was bound and looking beyond uncomfortable. Seeing Machop surprisingly keeping pace, Manectric knelt down on all fours as electricity formed on his forehead, the wolf picking up the pace and shouting, "WILD CHARGE!"

The crowd gasped as Machop's eyes widened, the girl thinking, 'How can I possibly-?' only to lose her footing as she tripped and flew forward.

All went silent as she wound up flying over Manectric, landing on his back as his run came to a halt. His eyes and mouth were wide open as he found himself crushed under the girl's weight, despite her not weighing nearly as much as Machoke and Machamp did in their prime.

The girl sat there and blinked, uttering, "What just happened?" until Torchic snapped, "HEY, MACHOP, FINISH THE RACE!"

"Oh, right," the girl said with a nod before rising up and sprinting toward the dummy. However, Manectric rose to his feet as he growled, "I don't think so!" leaping toward her and latching onto her back.

The crowd gasped as he shouted, "THUNDER FANG!" electricity coursing through his fangs as he pierced her shoulder with them.

The girl cried out in intense pain as the damsel blinked and uttered, "Um, you do know this isn't a match, right?"

However, Manectric ignored the words, fully intending to knock Machop out as Beedrill uttered, "I'm sure he'll remember to finish this race eventually."

"HEY, ARE YOU GONNA TAKE THAT!?" Gallador spat as Rinko barked, "Yeah, come on! Fight it!"

"That's right!" Jackalu exclaimed, "He's clearly forgotten the point of this event! Use that to your advantage!"

With that in mind, Machop nodded with a fierce look in her eyes. She then lifted her hands and took hold of the sides of Manectric's head. His eyes widened as she managed to lift him up with his fangs still in her shoulder. She then leaned backwards and planted his chin into the ground thus causing him to release his hold.

The girl breathed heavily as she slowly made her way toward the dummy, sending a light karate chop into its shoulder. This was just enough to get it to release its hold as Machop weakly rose her arm into the air, the crowd going wild.

"And there you have it, folks!" Beedrill exclaimed, "The remaining participants for the final event have been chosen!"

"WAY TO GO, MACHOP!" Eiko squealed as Kelani applauded her, Isamu folding his arms and sighing, "Even when she's in a foot race, it's still a close call."

Noboru took a deep breath and said, "Well, if you ask me, that Manectric was a poor sport," Meloetta nodding and adding, "I agree. He had that coming."

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were okay with the idea of fighting to get better results," Isamu replied as the green-haired girl's cheeks flushed pink from embarrassment.

Either way, Machop was glad to advance as she slowly hobbled her way back to her friends. All of them gave her a group hug as Jackalu grinned and gave her a thumb up. He really hoped that she would be among the top sixteen to advance to the fighting tournament as he wanted to face her more than anyone else.


	42. Chapter 42

With all said and done, it was finally time for the last event. While not all of Machop's friends had made it, most of them had and all of them hoped to make it to the fighting tournament.

"Well, folks, this is it!" Beedrill exclaimed, "Those first two events were leading up to this, the final event, the one that will decide our finalists! There's still well over a hundred of you right now, but only sixteen of you will make it to the main event, the fighting tournament!"

Needless to say, the heroes were pumped and ready for this as the wasp added, "Before we begin this, a change of location is in order. Thus various buses will be set up outside to transport all of you there."

The crowd was rather confused by this but figured they may as well go with it, Lairon saying, "They did the same thing for us. I wonder if it's gonna be a race through a forest again," Garchomp nodding and adding, "So far, this has been very similar to when we competed."

"Really?" Eiko asked as Lairon nodded and replied, "Yep, we had to undergo these exact same events, though as the chairman said, a slight alteration was made to that last one."

Torchic smirked and said, "I'm looking forward to this," Venipede nodding and adding, "Yeah, I never thought I'd say this, but bring on the final event."

Rinko grinned and patted him on the shoulder, saying, "I'm really proud of you, Venipede. It's hard to believe you used to be so scared of combat," the centipede nodding and replying, "I have you to thank for that. You really helped me overcome my fears."

Jackalu walked over to Machop and slugged her on the shoulder as she winced, clutching onto said spot as he gasped, "Sorry about that!" the girl sighing, "No, it's okay. I can tough it out," Clawitzer slapping her forehead. She dared not mess with Jackalu's romantic life, but even so, watching him be this awkward was painful.

"Anyway, you were amazing back there," the dog said with a grin, "Seriously, that Manectric was such a poor sport. You clearly had him beaten and he just couldn't accept it. The way you managed to overpower his electricity was a thing of beauty."

"Well, in all honesty, you kinda helped with that," Machop replied with a grin, "Believe you me, I wasn't much of a fighter before I started getting help. The only reason I got as far as I have is because of my trainer's advice."

"Oh yeah, your pop and his pop had their own trainers, right?" Jackalu asked, "Who's yours?" Machop replying, "That guy, right over there," pointing at Lairon who was currently headed toward the exit along with the others.

Jackalu nodded and said, "Well, best of luck in the final event," Machop nodding and replying, "I don't need luck," before wincing and uttering, "Though I definitely need the rest. That bus ride is a blessing."

With all said and done, the heroes assembled outside where twenty big buses were lined up. Needless to say, Beedrill was more than prepared for this.

Vigoroth and Meloetta were headed to the same bus as the others while the sloth gave them her right claw up. She may have lost but that did not mean she would not support her friends during all of this.

Everyone was soon on a bus as Machop sat behind Gyarados, tapping her on the shoulder as the serpent turned to her with a grin and said, "Hey there. Good job winning that race," the girl replying, "Thanks. You were awesome too."

Jackalu was just about to take a seat next to Machop when Torchic sat in that spot instead, the dog's ears dropping as Clawitzer sighed, "Come on, you can sit with me right here," pointing at the seat across from Machop's.

Jackalu grinned and said, "As long as I'm close to her," both taking a seat as the dog waved at Machop.

The ride went by rather quickly as after a half-hour, everyone was assembled at the location of the final event. Though the group was unsure what to think when they noticed this spot was at a local beach.

"Wow!" Jackalu exclaimed with his eyes sparkling, "I hope it's a swimming race! We're both so good at it, eh, Clawitzer?" the shrimp nodding and replying, "Yeah, I'd be cool with that."

However, Jackalu rose an eyebrow when Machop groaned, "Please don't be a swimming race. My family is horrible at swimming," as the dog growled, "If that Beedrill chooses swimming, I'll knock his block off, I will!"

Clawitzer slapped her forehead and sighed, "You know, pretending to agree with her isn't going to win her over," Jackalu remarking, "What do you know? You've never taken interest in dating."

Even Torchic was not too keen on a swimming race as Beedrill said, "Something worth note is that the final event leading up the tournament is always a big race with the first sixteen to cross the finish line qualifying. As such, we will have a marathon spanning across a good chunk of this ocean all the way back here!"

All went silent as Machop groaned, "Oh, goddammit! There's no way I can win this!" only for her fear to leave her when Beedrill pressed a button as a big metal race track rose up from under the water with two ramps right next to each other, each linked to a different path.

"This will be the path that you will follow," Beedrill explained, "You will begin the race on the right ramp. Once you're far enough across the ocean, you will find an area where the path turns around, thus the race will end when you return to the beach and run down the left ramp."

"Oh, so the right one is the starting line and the left one is the finish line," Jackalu said as Clawitzer nodded and replied, "That's pretty much what he just said."

With all said and done, all of the heroes still participating lined up as Slurpuff looked around with a big smile, saying, "Wow, I have to admit, I'm a little nervous going up against all these amazing heroes," the crowd once again entranced by how naive and innocent he seemed.

However, Jackalu did not buy it for a minute as he narrowed his eyelids and thought, 'Alright, I'm gonna make sure that little cream puff doesn't make it. There's just something alarming about that guy and I can't put my finger on it.'

Machop felt especially prepared, not realizing just how difficult things would get for her. As it so happened, two particular heroes were whispering about a plan to keep her from winning.

"That Mach family has been soaking up glory in these tournaments for far too long," a white cat with a coin on his forehead and whiskers like that of a catfish named Meowth grumbled as a yellow flower bud with a stem for a body and leaves for arms named Bellsprout replied, "Yeah, but don't worry. We'll take her out, but not too early."

"What do you mean?" the cat replied as Bellsprout explained, "You see, if we try our plan too soon, she could find a way to get out and make her way into first place. But if we initiate our tactic somewhere around the halfway point, she won't have enough time to get back into the top sixteen. Caphiche?"

Meowth tapped his chin and nodded, replying, "You're right. We'll make sure not to get ahead of her until that moment. We are geniuses!"

With that, the two gave each other a high five as Beedrill asked, "Is everyone in position?" the heroes all bending down on one knee each to ready themselves.

The wasp nodded at this and exclaimed, "On your marks, get set, go!" as all of the heroes sprinted forward and started the race. However, little did they know this was not going to be as simple as using their abilities to stop their opponents from winning.

This was made clear when the heroes all came to their first obstacle within the first couple of minutes. Before them was a steep slope that looked near impossible to climb with a sign next to it saying 'No flying. Anyone who tries will be disqualified.'

Most of the heroes stared in stunned silence at the sight of this as one asked, "How the hell are we supposed to get up there?" one with wings growling, "Dammit! If only there wasn't that stupid rule!"

However, Slurpuff smiled at the sight of this and said, "Hey, this looks like fun," before launching his cherry off of his head, shouting, "CHERRY BOMB!"

Everyone stared as the fruit landed onto the path above the slope, its juices forming what looked like a rope. Slurpuff then took hold of it as it rose up like a grappling hook and carried him with it, the cake dog squealing, "WHEE!"

Seeing this on a big monitor, the girls in the audience had hearts in their eyes as one squealed, "Oh my god, I hope he places first!" another saying, "He totally deserves it after coming up with such a clever tactic."

However, it seemed that the cake dog getting up as easily as he did motivated the other heroes to try harder as many tried their own tactics. Some were fast enough to run up the slope, including Torchic who lit her toes on fire in order to make it easier to latch her talons onto the surface.

Jackalu, meanwhile, was not about to let Slurpuff upstage him as he smirked, saying, "That little cupcake may think he's so clever, but his method was too slow. Feast your eyes on this, audience!" giving a camera with a propeller a peace sign and crouching down before leaping as high as he possibly could.

Many members of the crowd were impressed as he just barely managed to jump high enough to reach the top. But just as he was about to pose some more for the camera, he suddenly realized his heels were over the edge as he started to fall back, spreading out his arms and swinging them around. Luckily, he managed to regain his balance as he breathed a sigh of relief and took off.

Clawitzer was easily able to make it up thanks to her claws while even Machop made it using an approach similar to Jackalu's. But since she could not jump as high as him, she wound up having to jump twice to make it to the top. And Meowth and Bellsprout were not far behind as the cat used his claws to make small holes in the slope for leverage while the bud clung to his back.

Rinko had quite a bit of trouble, what with her being a human as she attempted to climb only to slide down. But just as she was about to give up, Venipede knelt down on his arms and legs and said, "Hop on my back and use me like a circus ball."

"Wait, what!?" Rinko remarked as the centipede said, "Look, I don't want to see you lose this race. As such, I say we work together so we can both make it to the tournament."

Light tears formed as a big smile formed, the brunette saying, "You're the best," before doing just as instructed. Thus Venipede rolled up into a ball and exclaimed, "CENTIPEDE STEAMROLLER!" his shoulder blades forming as he used them to roll up the slope while Rinko ran along him just like a clown in a circus.

Once the duo reached the top, Rinko leapt off of Venipede as he retracted from his ball-like state. Thus the two gave each other a high five and advanced forward together.

"Would you look at that!?" Beedrill exclaimed while watching this on the monitor, "Even though they're competing, they're still willing to work together to make it through the race!" Meloetta smiling sweetly while even Eiko could not help but say, "That's so sweet."

During this time, Slurpuff was still far ahead. However, because his running speed was incredibly slow, quite a few heroes had eventually managed to keep up with him. Two dinosaurs with rabbit ears, one blue and one purple ran next to him and nodded at one-another. These two were brother and sister and their names were Nidorino and Nidorina respectively. Nidorino had a horn atop his thin, pointy head while Nidorina did not have one on her more rounded head.

"You got lucky when you went up against Vigoroth, but we're not gonna be so easy, right, sis?" Nidorino asked as the blue dinosaur nodded and growled, "Come on, ram him!"

But just as they were about to send their elbows into Slurpuff's sides, he had a big smile on his face as he said, "That's not very nice."

With that, the sides of his frosting hair stretched out with each one trapping a sibling in place. He then stood on the tips of his toes and started to twirl like a ballerina, squealing, "FROSTING MERRY-GO-ROUND!"

The dinosaurs found themselves unable to free themselves as Slurpuff sent them flying into two other heroes. Nidorino hit a green snake with leaf hands named Servine while Nidorina knocked down a yellow cat named Abra, all four heroes now unable to get up as their eyes swirled.

Since Slurpuff's expression had not changed in the slightest, most members of the crowd were happy to see him do this as Meloetta whimpered, "I hope those guys get medical attention," Isamu nodding and saying, "Yeah, that looked surprisingly brutal for cake frosting."

At that moment, Jackalu passed by when he noticed the four heroes in a heap, his eyes wide open as he thought, 'Did that little bugger actually do all that? My god, now I really can't allow him to make the top sixteen!'

But just as he was about to catch up with the cake dog, his eyes widened when a green boulder rammed into his back. Thus he coughed up a bit of blood and fell flat on his face when the owner detracted, revealing himself to be a tortoise while the boulder was actually his shell.

"Oh, you are gonna pay for that!" Jackalu growled as he slowly rose to his feet only for six other heroes to pass him, including Sneasel.

The cat was just about to close in on Slurpuff when he heard her coming. As such, he leapt into the air and performed a vertical flip. Sneasel blinked before noticing the cake dog inhale air thus slowing down his descent. However, it seemed there was more to it as he aimed his skull toward her and launched his cherry toward her, shouting, "CHERRY BOMB!"

When the cherry made contact with Sneasel's gut, her eyes widened as this caused her to cough up blood. She could not believe it. How could a cherry be this strong?

Either way, this not only sent her back but also careening over the edge of the path. As such, she was officially disqualified from continuing the race as a small rescue boat was sent to her location. Needless to say, Slurpuff could no longer be taken lightly.

Seeing this on the monitor, Isamu gulped and uttered, "Oh god, that guy actually kinda scares me now," Eiko nodding and replying, "Me too. Everyone's so entranced by him and his cuteness, but he rubs me the wrong way."

"Do I rub you the wrong way?" Kelani asked as the pink-haired girl gave him a hug and squealed, "Of course you don't!"

During this time, Machop had made her way into sixteenth as she smirked and thought, 'Good, if I can keep this up, winning will be easy,' Bellsprout and Meowth still hot on her trail as the cat grumbled, "This lingering in the back thing is starting to annoy me. We could be in the top sixteen right now."

Bellsprout nodded and remarked, "True, but then we leave ourselves open for anyone to pass us. Right now, we are in the best spot, not in the top sixteen but still close enough that by the time we get to the second half, we can blast our way into first and no one will be able to stop us."

All the while, Gallador was doing a good job as well until a humanoid trash heap with a green garbage bag for a head and pipes for fingers named Garbodor ran behind him. He had a look of fury in his eyes as he thought, 'I'll avenge you, Dad! I'll make this bastard pay for what his family did to you during the three-legged race!'

He looked back to a story his father, a small garbage bag named Trubbish, told him of a time when he was minding his own business, doing a relatively good job in the three-legged race. But just as things looked good for him, a certain green fighter used one of his arm blades to slash him open and knock him out cold.

Of course, the reality was that Trubbish attacked first, but there was no way he would tell his son that. If anything, he wanted to give the trash heap motivation to take down a member of Gallade's family if ever given the chance.

'You may have suffered injustice,' Garbodor thought, 'but I'm going to make sure Gallador pays for what his dad did!'

"GUNK SHOT!" he exclaimed as he pointed his fingers toward Gallador and fired three mounds of trash out of them.

The white boy detected this and quickly leapt over it, sending a roundhouse backward into the trash heap's face. This caused Garbodor to back up with a look of fury. But just as he was about to get his revenge, he noticed Gallador had already run ahead of him as he blinked and gasped, "Oh, right, the race!"

With that, he carried on as three other heroes ran his way only to step on the trash he had fired earlier and slip on it. One of them, Purrloin to be exact, wound up spraining her ankle and thus was unable to continue.

Rinko and Venipede, meanwhile, were doing a fairly good job keeping up with the competition. However, that would all change when another duo appeared behind them. One was an indigo turtle with wing-like ears and a long furry tail named Wartortle. The other was a cyborg with three perfectly round heads with one eye each and a magnet on each side named Magneton.

"So, what's the plan?" Wartortle asked as Magneton's heads closed their eyes and nodded before the right one replied, "Those two may be a good duo, but we can easily take them out of the race. Initiate tactic three-hundred-and-seventy-one, but make sure your part of the tactic is aimed at Venipede. He'll take an extra hit to defeat for sure."

With that, Wartortle leapt onto their back as all three heads positioned their magnets backwards, shouting, "SONIC BOOM!" releasing magnetic shock waves thus launching themselves toward the duo with their arms out.

Wartortle leapt off of his head and flipped around, her tail glowing as she aimed it for the back of Venipede's head, shouting, "AQUA TAIL!"

However, Rinko detected this as she turned to Venipede, saying, "Follow my lead. We're being attacked."

With that, Rinko leapt backward toward Magneton and sent a back kick into their midsection as their eyes widened. They could not believe it, but this one kick from a human was strong enough to halt their speed boost, something that usually took a great deal of muscle and force to pull off.

As if that was not enough, Venipede had also managed to counter Wartortle by pressing the tips of his antennae together and shouting, "VENOSHOCK!" sending them into her tail.

The turtle cried out in pain as said antennae had managed to pass right through it thus creating two small holes. But it did not end there as Venipede flung her into Magneton, both now unconscious thus leaving them unable to continue the race.

Rinko and Venipede gave each other a high five as the centipede said, "That did slow us down a bit. How long do you think you can stay balanced on me when I'm rolling?" Rinko grinning and replying, "Trust me, I could keep that up all day if I have to."

With that in mind, Venipede rolled up into a ball as Rinko leapt onto his back, running along him as he rolled forward like a circus ball. Since he always moved considerably faster in this state, this would undoubtedly make things much easier.

Torchic was having a bit of trouble of her own as Politoed was keeping up with her, lashing out her tongue in an attempt to grab her. However, the chicken easily leapt over this and descended diagonally toward her, planting her feet into the side of her head thus knocking her down.

And soon enough, the heroes had finally gotten close to the halfway point. Thus Meowth smirked at Bellsprout who folded the tip of his arm to make it look like he was holding a thumb up. Whatever they had planned, Machop would need to be ready if she was to avoid falling victim to it.


	43. Chapter 43

Machop had gone from sixteenth all the way to tenth place as she reached the second half of the race. At this point, the path made a big U-turn so the heroes could return to shore.

Unfortunately, it seemed as if the girl might not have it so easy as Meowth and Bellsprout had managed to keep up with her. Thus they were more than ready to take away her advantage as the bud nodded at the cat, leaping atop his shoulders. Meowth then used his paws to bind him place before reeling him back and flinging him toward Machop.

The girl was completely unprepared as Bellsprout exclaimed, "RAZOR LEAF!" striking the back of her neck as she coughed up blood. With her distracted, Meowth leapt at her as his coin glowed, conjuring up multiple copies that danced around him in midair.

Before Machop could retaliate to the blow to her neck, Meowth was close enough for the coins to buffet her back as he shouted, "PAY DAY!" multiple bruises forming in that very spot.

However, to top it all off, Bellsprout proceeded to whip out two vines from his armpits as he bound the girl in place, shouting, "VINE PRISON!" pressing the edges of his arms up against the end of the vines and cutting them open.

With that, Meowth quickly tied the ends together into a knot as he grinned and said, "There we go. She ain't going anywhere," he and Bellsprout sharing a high five before racing forward.

Seeing this on the screen, Isamu stood up and exclaimed, "MACHOP, GET OUT OF THAT!" as Noboru uttered, "Son, she can't hear you from all the way out there."

Eiko bit her lower lip as quite a few heroes passed Machop, and this continued until she wound up in twenty-third. That number would only go up as Kelani asked, "Can she get out of that?"

During this time, Jackalu had finally caught up with Slurpuff only to notice the turtle who had run him over earlier, namely Golem, gaining on the cake dog. However, Slurpuff detected this easily as his hair scrunched together into a big ball before lowering behind him and forming what looked like a river of frosting.

And sure enough, the turtle rolled into it, retracting from his shell and grunting, "What is this!?" only for Slurpuff to smile and say, "Oh, sorry, I should really clean up my mess."

With that in mind, he shifted his head forward as Golem was sent flying into the air. Slurpuff then proceeded to leap up to his level before he could tuck himself into his shell, using the sides of his hair as arms to bind his wrists in place. The cake dog then proceeded to form a rope with the top of his hair that stretched up to Golem's head, wrapping itself around his neck.

Jackalu stared in stunned silence as Slurpuff leaned backward and exclaimed, "FROSTING MALLET!" slamming the turtle's head hard against the surface as his eyes rolled back to the head, causing him to pass out.

'Alright, I don't care how tough that cream puff is,' Jackalu thought with a look of fury, 'I'm gonna take him down!'

However, he was rudely interrupted when a large creature made up of blue vines named Tangrowth wrapped his arms around him, saying, "I'll go down in history as the first one to prevent a member of the Adair family from making it to the tournament."

"I don't think so, pal!" Jackalu retorted as he leaned his head forward before sending it back into the area just below Tangrowth's face.

This caused the creature to release his hold as Jackalu send a back kick into his midsection to distract him further. With that out of the way, he formed a sphere around each of his paws before shouting, "DOUBLE FORCE PALM!" sending both paws hard into Tangrowth's face.

With that, Tangrowth's eyes rolled to the back of his head as he fell hard on his back, no longer able to continue. Jackalu then took a deep breath and said, "God, you are annoying," Venipede and Rinko passed him thus causing him to realize he had just gone from second place to sixth.

However, just as he was about to advance further, Meowth and Bellsprout had caught up as the cat exclaimed, "This is great! There's no way Machop can win now!" the dog's eyes widening as he thought, 'What happened to Machop!?'

With that in mind, he turned when Clawitzer ran by and noticed him, asking, "What are you doing!?" only for Jackalu to retort, "Go on! I got something I need to take care of! Though make sure the bud and the cat don't make it to the finish line!"

The audience could not believe what they were seeing on the monitor right now as Beedrill enquired, "What is Jackalu doing? That's not the way to the finish line!"

Clawitzer found this odd, but chose to honour his request. While Jackalu was not exactly the most intelligent hero, his heart was often in the right place, so the shrimp figured he must have had a good reason for this.

With that in mind, she sprinted toward Bellsprout and Meowth as the two were too caught up in their own gloating to notice. And once close enough, Clawitzer opened her big claw and caught them both within its grip.

Their eyes widened as Meowth uttered, "Bellsprout, what's going on?" the bud sighing, "Come to think of it, I kind of forgot there were other heroes in this race."

It was clear that the duo could not escape as Clawitzer lifted them up, flipping her claw along with them upside-down and shouting, "VICE GRIP SLAM!" ramming their skulls into the floor.

With Bellsprout and Meowth unconscious, Clawitzer looked back and thought, 'Please make it back to the top sixteen, Jackalu,' before returning to the race.

All the while, Jackalu sprinted past many others, all of them thinking him crazy but refusing to question this, let alone try to stop him. After all, if he was going to give up his spot in the tournament, that only meant one less fighter to worry about.

By the time the dog reached Machop, who was trying her hardest to break free, he was now all the way down to seventy-fifth place. But that hardly mattered as he thought, 'Dammit, why didn't anyone think to help her?' as if the answer to that question was not obvious.

With that in mind, the dog wasted no time using his wrist spikes to slash open the vines. Machop groaned and slowly rose to her feet, staring at him as he smiled and asked, "You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," Machop replied with a sigh, watching a few more heroes pass her and groaning, "Though it looks like I'm gonna lose for sure, and so are you. You really didn't have to do this for me."

"Nonsense," Jackalu replied with a bow, "I will not stand by and let you fail."

He then took hold of the girl's hand and gazed into her eyes, saying, "Come on, it's not too late. If we try our absolute hardest, we can make it in the top sixteen. It's not over til it's over. Never forget that."

Machop's eyes sparkled as something about Jackalu's words made her truly believe she could do this. As such, the two pounded their fists together before dashing along the path with every intention to make up for lost time. But could they really catch up? After having let a few more heroes pass them, they were currently in eighty-first and eighty-second respectively. While Meowth and Bellsprout may have been too weak to finish the race, it seemed as if their plan had still worked.

During this time, an orange sparrow with a light-grey belly and yellow wings with black edges was flying her way along. Her name was Fletchinder and currently, she was closing in on sixteenth. Seeing Ponyta and Hariyama right in front of her running neck-and-neck, she smirked and held her arms out before speeding up her flight, her body covered in flames.

"FLAME STEALTH BOMBER!" Fletchinder shouted as she rammed her arms into the back of her targets' necks, knocking them on their chins as they lay there unconscious.

'I really hope that Jackalu catches up,' she thought as she looked back at her opponents, 'Two opponents are hardly enough to help him out. What was he thinking? If he doesn't make the top sixteen, I'll be really pissed off.'

Just as most of the racers were moments away from the final quarter, Slurpuff came across a gap in the path with a rope being the only way across. The others following him stopped in their tracks and stared in shock, including Rinko and Venipede who were currently in third and forth.

"You think we can get across there?" Venipede asked as Rinko nodded and replied, "You bet," before noticing Slurpuff slowly walking across with his arms spread out.

Seeing this, Venipede knelt down and said, "Get on my back," as Rinko nodded and did as instructed. And once she was secure, the centipede walked on all eights toward the rope and started crawling across. Due to the way his arms and legs were designed, this was surprisingly easy.

Slowly but surely, many other heroes made their way across as Clawitzer looked back and thought, 'Well, this will stall us for a while, but this could also delay Jackalu. Come on, whatever it is you needed to do, don't let it rob you of a spot in the tournament.'

Luckily, though, Jackalu and Machop were doing an incredible job keeping up. While two minutes ago, they had been stuck in eighty-first, they were now in fifty-forth due to Jackalu's incredible speed combined with the fact that he had been helping Machop keep up with him by holding her hand.

While this went on, the girl found her heart beating quicker than usual, her cheeks flushed pink as she thought, 'Oh my god, what's coming over me? Is this what they call a crush or is it more than that? Oh god, I'm not ready for romance yet!'

Her train of thought came to a halt when a red crab named Krabby and a plump tree with three heads named Exeggutor raced toward her and Jackalu with the intention of knocking them out of the race. However, the dog refused to allow this as he smirked and said, "Don't worry, we can use this to our advantage. Now follow my lead."

Just as the two opposing heroes were close, Machop and Jackalu leapt high into the air before planting their feet hard into their faces. They then added to the force and propelled themselves off of them, flying into forty-seventh as the crowd cheered upon seeing this on the monitor.

"YEAH, GO MACHOP!" Eiko squealed as Kelani's eyes sparkled, the doberman saying, "Wow, they work so well together."

"Yeah," Isamu replied with a slight look of disappointment, but where had this come from? After all, Jackalu was helping Machop make up for lost time. If anything, the boy should have been happy right now.

Whatever the case, it seemed as if things could only get better as both heroes managed to bypass many other heroes, quickly making their way into twenty-ninth. It was as if they had not been slowed down at all, though they would soon find it even easier as it seemed the whole reason the heroes had slowed down was due to many in front of them trying to cross the rope.

At this time, only twenty had managed to cross, meaning if Machop and Jackalu could get across right now, they would be in twenty-first. However, that would be impossible as they would likely have to wait for those in front like everyone else.

"Dammit!" Machop cursed, "We were so close!" only for Jackalu to smirk and reply, "Don't fret. I got this."

Before the girl could even ask what the dog meant, she found herself lifted up by her hind legs as he swung her around and hurled her over the gap. Machop landed flat on her chin and was about to curse Jackalu for this before realizing that his plan had actually worked, her eyes and mouth wide with shock as a smile formed.

Soon enough, the dog leapt across the gap and landed next to her, those still waiting for access to the rope staring in shock. Some even attempted this themselves only to fail miserably, landing on a safety net.

Machop still could not believe this until Jackalu rested a paw on her shoulder, saying, "Come on, let's do this," the girl nodding with a big grin as the duo raced forward. Now there was no doubt in Machop's mind that she and Jackalu could make it into the top sixteen.

Meanwhile, the crowd was watching the finish line as Beedrill said, "If what we've seen on the monitor is any indicator, we should get our first batch of finalists soon."

And sure enough, the crowd's excitement rose as Slurpuff was happily hopping toward the finish line, Meloetta blinking and saying, "Wow, I didn't think he'd actually make it that far."

Most of the crowd went wild when he passed the line, Beedrill exclaiming, "And we got us our first participant in the tournament! Let's see who else will qualify for this!"

Sure enough, thanks to their combined efforts, Venipede and Rinko both made it at the same time. But since there could only be sixteen in the tournament, Beedrill counted them as both second and third as Rinko leapt off of the centipede, waving to the cheering crowd.

She then gave Venipede a big hug and a kiss on the cheek, squealing, "Danke schoen!" as he blushed bright and patted her on the back.

Torchic made it in forth with a big grin on her face, soon followed by Fletchinder who folded her arms and thought, 'Fifth? Well, it could have been worse, I guess.'

Gallador was close behind with Garbodor close in seventh. He took many deep breaths and glared at the white boy, thinking, 'Oh well. Now I have a chance to face him in the tournament and get my revenge there.'

Gyarados managed eighth place with a big grin on her face, turning to her friends and giving them a thumb up. Needless to say, the others were happy to see her make it into the tournament as Delphox took ninth.

Seeing this, Torchic was starting to worry as she groaned, "Oh no, don't tell me..." Clawitzer crossing the finish line and breathing heavily, thinking, 'Come on, Jackalu. Please tell me you can make it.'

Unfortunately, it was looking less likely as a hairy armadillo named Chesnaught took eleventh place, a big grin on his face as he exclaimed, "OH YEAH! I ROCK!" flexing his muscles for the crowd.

"Um, where's Machop?" Eiko uttered as Isamu gulped, "We still got five spots left. I'm sure she'll make it."

"Yeah, this is Machop," Hana added with a nod of her head, "If I know her, she can do it," Noboru folding his arms and sighing, "At least if she doesn't, it's not the end of the world, right?"

Lairon frowned and thought, 'Maybe so, but I want to see her make it at least this far. I wonder if Jackalu turning around has anything to do with this,' Garchomp wondering the same thing.

"Come on," Vigoroth retorted, "This is Machop we're talking about here. She's not gonna let anything get her down no matter what."

It continued to look less likely, though, as a yellow turtle with a long neck, legs and arms like noodles and a perfectly round shell named Shuckle made it in twelfth. And sure enough, a brown and purple sea dragon named Dragalge wound up in thirteenth. Close behind was a collection of keys attached to a single ring in the middle named Klefki.

Now Vigoroth could not help but panic as she uttered, "Oh no, Machop's doomed," as Meloetta uttered, "This may not be a good versus evil struggle, but I really want to see her make the top sixteen."

However, it seemed that might not be the case as a yellow duck named Psyduck and a light-blue and green kappa with a lily pad atop his head named Lombre were closing in, Beedrill exclaiming, "Well, folks, it seems we might very well have our fifteenth and sixteenth spots, thus this race is almost over!"

Clawitzer looked down and groaned, "I knew it!" as the others could not have been more disappointed by the fact that Machop had not made it.

Or it at least seemed so as suddenly, everyone gasped when Jackalu and Machop raced toward the two, Jackalu shouting, "HEY, DON'T COUNT US OUT JUST YET!"

"Mierda!" Lombre cursed as Psyduck nodded and said, "Don't worry, we can take care of these two. My mom may be friends with Machoke, but that doesn't mean I'm gonna give up my spot to these two."

With that in mind, the duck performed a back flip and latched his feet onto Machop's neck, leaning backward and grabbing hold of her ankles. He then leapt high into the air and flipped himself upside-down, shouting, "ICE ROCK DRIVER!" planting Machop's skull into the floor.

The crowd gasped as Lombre turned around and took hold of Jackalu's wrist. The dog gasped as the kappa proceeded to shout, "HURRICANE LOMBRE!" spinning the lily pad around while placing Jackalu onto it.

Just as it looked like the dog would be knocked down as well, he easily found a way around this as he bent his knees in, planting his foot spikes into the pad. This ultimately caused it to stop spinning as small drops of blood flew out, Lombre crying out in pain.

With that, Jackalu leapt off of his head and pierced the back of Lombre's hand with his wrist spike, lifting him high above his head and shouting, "SPIKE SUPLEX!"

Psyduck's eyes widened as Lombre fell on top of him, crushing him underneath as his eyes spun around. The dog then knelt down and helped Machop up with a warm smile and signalled her to join him at the finish line. The girl grinned wide and nodded, the two sprinting toward that very spot.

Their timing could not have been better as quite a few heroes managed to catch up with them, Isamu shouting, "COME ON, KEEP GOING! YOU'RE ALMOST THERE!"

And just as it looked like Machop and Jackalu would lose their place, they just barely managed to cross the finish line as Beedrill exclaimed, "And that's that! Machop and Jackalu both take fifteenth and sixteenth, therefor our finalists have been decided!"

The crowd went wild as Noboru breathed a sigh of relief, Eiko hugging Kelani as Meloetta clapped for her friends. It was just great knowing most of them made it as Vigoroth stood up and gave a standing ovation.

Torchic grinned at Machop as Rinko and Venipede gave her a hug, Rinko sighing, "Even in a race, it's always one close call after the next with you," the girl sighing, "How did Daddy deal with this on a regular basis?"

Jackalu nodded with a grin as Clawitzer patted him on the shoulder, sighing, "You just about gave me a heart attack," as the dog laughed nervously and replied, "Sorry about that. I had something really important to do."

Clawitzer was just about to ask what that was until Machop bowed her head and said, "Thanks so much, Jackalu. If you hadn't come by when you did, I wouldn't have had a chance at this," the dog nodding as the shrimp sighed, "Of course."

Fletchinder, all the while, glanced at the dog and folded her arms, thinking, 'He cut that way too close. Is this really the son of Lucario? He'd better not disappoint me.'

Gyarados grinned at Machop and said, "Hey, I hope we get to face each other again. I might just clean your clock," the girl smirking and retorting, "I'd like to see you try," as the two shared a laugh.

Gallador, meanwhile, folded his arms and thought, 'I'm proud of you, Machop. But if we end up facing each other, I'm not holding back.'

With the first three rounds out of the way, it was time to see what the finalists were truly capable of. Needless to say, this was beyond exciting and the crowd could not wait.


	44. Chapter 44

It had been a full day since the sixteen finalists had been chosen as many were gathered in the Tokyo Dome. This was not for the first round of the tournament but to find out the order in which the heroes would face each other. Not only did the people want to know who was facing who, but much like everything else in the Olympics, the selection was always a big spectacle.

Isamu and the others sat in the front row as Lairon grinned and said, "I wonder how they're gonna decide the order this time," Garchomp nodding and replying, "I think it has something to do with that."

She then directed her husband's attention to a big structure covered by a cloth. Needless to say, they were not the only ones curious as to what was under there.

Beedrill flew in front of a podium and exclaimed, "Ladies and gentlemen, it is now time to decide the order in which this tournament's matches will take place! I bet you're all dying to know who will face who, so without further ado, let's get this started!"

Kelani's eyes sparkled as the cloth was removed to reveal an enormous pachinko machine. Everyone stared as Isamu uttered, "Is that the sort of thing they often use for this?"

Eiko nodded and replied, "Last time, they used a pinball machine," Noboru nodding and adding, "And in the twenty-sixth Olympics, they used a slingshot and a target board."

Vigoroth blinked and asked, "So, how exactly does that work? Do they just use balls with the heroes' faces painted on them or something?" Meloetta nodding and replying, "I'm sure that's how it works. After all, it would be ridiculous if they dropped actual heroes in a machine like that."

"Actually, you're only half-right," Hana replied as the heroes and Kelani blinked in confusion.

"This machine right here is what we'll use to determine the order!" Beedrill explained as he directed everyone's attention to sixteen slots placed next to one-another in a line, "As you can see, there are a total of sixteen slots. This will be the ultimate deciding factor. Basically, whoever lands in the left-most slot and the one next to it will face each other in the first match. Whoever lands in the right-most one and the one next to that will face off in the final match. I'm sure you can figure out the rest from there."

The crowd nodded as Isamu said, "Now I can see why people make such a big deal out of this. I thought they were just gonna draw names from a hat."

"Silly Isamu," Eiko replied with a light chuckle, "Everything in the Hero Olympics is meant to be exciting. Drawing from a hat is just boring."

Isamu's interest heightened when suddenly, sixteen clear plastic balls were rolled out, each with a hero inside of it. Others experiencing this for the first time were just as invested as Beedrill explained, "As you can see, each hero has been placed inside of one of our pachinko balls. When you see the heroes fall into specific slots, you'll know who they'll face and when."

Jackalu was posing inside of his ball while Clawitzer sighed, "Can't you take this more seriously?"

With that, all of the balls were risen up onto a slide leading into the opening of the pachinko machine. And one-by-one, they were dropped and scattered about. Thanks to the plastic, none of the heroes inside took in any pain from this, though Venipede was slightly afraid of what might happen if his came open.

After roughly a minute, one ball finally landed in a slot. This was Chesnaught's as he had wound up in the second slot to the left, meaning he would partake in the forth match.

Gallador followed in the sixth slot to the left followed by Dragalge in the first slot to the right. Delphox was in the second-last slot in that direction while Torchic landed to the left of her, specifically the sixth slot to the right.

When Venipede landed in the seventh slot to the left, he simply folded his arms and thought, 'Well, look at that. I'm in the first match. The old me would have been scared, but not anymore!'

However, his tune soon changed when Rinko landed right next to him, both their eyes widening as they stared at one-another. They knew there was a possibility that they might very well face each other in the tournament, but they did not think it would be in the first round.

Gyarados fell in the fifth slot to the left, meaning she would face Gallador. Clawitzer landed in the slot next to Dragalge while Fletchinder wound up in the forth slot to the right.

Torchic tensed up slightly when Slurpuff landed next to her, giving a big friendly smile and waving at her. The chicken narrowed her eyelids and thought, 'I see through that friendly act of yours. Don't think for a minute I'll take you lightly.'

Shuckle ended up next to Delphox while Machop landed in the forth slot to the left. However, her eyes widened when Garbodor landed next to her, gazing upon Gallador's ball and frowning. After all, he wanted to face him, though a chance to defeat the daughter of Machoke was nothing to scoff at.

Klefki wound up next to Chesnaught as Jackalu landed beside Fletchinder. And with that, all of the heroes were taken care of as Beedrill exclaimed, "And there you have it, folks! The order has been decided!"

Kelani blinked and uttered, "That was so cool," as Eiko nodded and said, "Well, they are nice to look at, but don't ever play one of those machines. They eat your money," the doberman trembling in fear, taking her words literally.

"As you can see, Rinko and Venipede will face off in the first match," Beedrill explained, "Gallador and Gyarados will fight in the second match followed by Machop and Garbodor."

Machop groaned at the thought of facing sentient garbage as the wasp continued, "Chesnaught and Klefki will face off in the forth match with Dragalge and Clawitzer in the fifth. Next up will be Jackalu and Fletchinder followed by Slurpuff and Torchic. And finally, Delphox and Shuckle will partake in the final match. Remember, the first round begins three days from now! I hope to see you all there because you don't wanna miss this!"

The crowd went wild as their excitement only continued to build, Meloetta whimpering, "I feel sorry for Venipede and Rinko. They're going to have to fight."

"True, but remember, it's all friendly competition," Lairon replied as Isamu sighed, "Define friendly," though he had to admit the dinosaur had a point. He seriously doubted this match would ruin their relationship.

With all said and done, everyone was ready to leave as Meloetta uttered, "You mean all these people came just to sit for ten minutes?" as Noboru replied, "Yeah, it does sound like a waste of time, but everything in the Hero Olympics is a huge deal. Even just finding out the match-ups is a big spectacle that people would give up all of their plans for the day to see."

But before any preparation for the tournament could be done, the teens and Kelani all decided to head to the club and celebrate Machop, Venipede, Rinko and Torchic making it to the tournament. As disappointed as Vigoroth was to fail, she was still determined to support her friends no matter what.

"A toast to our awesome friends!" Eiko squealed as all nine clinked their glasses together, Kelani saying, "I hope you all win."

Eiko chuckled and ruffled the hair atop his head, Machop sighing, "It would be great if we could all win, but there is only one winner. I mean, two others will get second and third place trophies, but you get the point."

"Still, I have to admit, I was kinda scared for you," Torchic said with a light smile, "Even though this is a sporting event, I would have been disappointed if you of all heroes didn't make it."

Machop laughed nervously and replied, "Yeah. But you know, I wouldn't have made it if Jackalu hadn't come and helped me," letting out a light sigh and resting her hands against her chin. When Isamu saw the dreamy look in her eyes, he could just tell what she was thinking about, and for some reason, it made him feel as if he should not have been here having this conversation, but why?

At that moment, Jackalu and Clawitzer were heading to their hotel when they passed by the club. The dog blinked and turned toward the window, smiling and tapping his finger against it.

"Jackalu, what are you-?" Clawitzer asked before peering through the window and noticing Machop and her friends. And luckily, all of them heard the sound of Jackalu's finger as Machop gave him a big wave and smile before signalling him and the shrimp to come in.

Jackalu was just about to ask Clawitzer as she shrugged and said, "Eh, why not? We've been through a lot. We could use a breather."

"You are just the best!" Jackalu squealed as he headed toward the door and opened it, bowing and adding, "After you, my lady."

"Well, at least your chivalry will never leave you," Clawitzer chuckled as she entered, the dog joining her close behind as the owner greeted them and led them to the lounge area.

"Wow, I've never been in such a place before," Jackalu said as he looked around, Clawitzer nodding and adding, "It's strange. The atmosphere here is so simple and yet so inviting. I guess less really is more."

Eiko nodded and said, "Yeah, it's our favourite hangout spot," before squealing, "Oh my god, I'm having a conversation with Lucario's son!" Isamu sighing, "I would have thought you'd get too used to this to freak out by now."

"Still, it's nice that we can just talk like this and not think about the tournament," Torchic replied with a sigh, "In three days, we're all gonna be competing for number one. Though I am kinda hoping that this year is the one where the Torch family finally wins it."

Jackalu grinned before putting on a more serious face and replying, "Well, best of luck to you, but let me tell you something. You can't take that Slurpuff lightly. He may look all creamy and cute, but I can just tell he's gonna be a challenge."

"I'll say," Vigoroth groaned as Meloetta patted her on the shoulder and laughed nervously, Torchic nodding and grinning, saying, "Don't worry about me. I'm not so easy to take down. That Slurpuff can dish out all he wants, but there's no way I'm gonna lose."

"I believe that," Vigoroth replied with a grin, "After the way you bested me, you better at least make it past the first round."

"Not to mention she got up after being crushed by Gigalith," Venipede added, "I didn't witness it, but I heard about it. I don't know if I could possibly get up from something like that," only for Rinko to pat him on the shoulders, saying, "I bet you can."

Clawitzer then rose an eyebrow and enquired, "I'm guess you two are a couple, right?" the centipede and brunette nodding as she added, "I was just wondering, does the fact that you're facing each-other in the first round bother you in any way?"

Venipede's cheeks flushed pink as Rinko replied, "Nein. We knew it was a possibility. Besides, we've been sparring with each other for quite a while, so we've already fought."

"Keep in mind that was for practice," Venipede said, "but yeah, I have no problem facing my girlfriend in the ring," though his cheeks were still pink, his eyes looking uncertain.

Luckily, no one seemed to notice as Meloetta said, "I just hope that none of these matches end bitterly. I'd hate for you to hate anyone for beating you," as Machop sighed, "Don't worry about it. If I lose, I'd rather it be to a hero than a villain."

"Right on!" Jackalu exclaimed with a grin as Isamu stared at him, Eiko nudging him and whispering, "Hey, you're not saying anything."

The boy blinked and uttered, "Well, I'm definitely looking forward to seeing you in the ring, Machop," the girl nodding before groaning, "I just wish I could have ended up with a less repelling opponent."

"I'm sure you'll beat him anyway," Jackalu replied with a grin as Isamu nodded and added, "Yeah, you'll definitely kick his ass. Heck, after the way you defeated Marshal and Kingdra, I'm pretty sure you can beat anyone, even Jackalu here."

Eiko stared wide-eyed, Clawitzer more concerned about how the dog would react only for him to laugh and reply, "Well, she might actually pull it off. Heck, she is the reason Trevenant and Gourgeist didn't kill me."

The shrimp breathed a sigh of relief as the rest of the conversation went well. However, Isamu still did not feel comfortable around Jackalu. Kelani could sense it but said nothing. After all, he may have been really young, but by now, he knew better than to spoil everyone's good mood with something negative.

Soon enough, the group was ready to retire for the day as Machop waved goodbye to everyone. But just as she was about to head home, Jackalu was tempted to ask if he could walk with her. Unfortunately, he had fully intended on heading back to his hotel room with Clawitzer as soon as possible and thus he decided not to.

Another part of the reason was that he was unaware of the fact that Machop had developed feelings for him after the way he saved her. Deep down, she would have loved to have walked home with him by her side.

Even so, she had to think about the tournament for the time being. It may not have been a life-or-death situation, but it was still a big deal. She wanted to live up to the legacy of her family and she would stop at nothing to make it happen.

She and Meloetta were happily greeted by Eri upon returning home as Garchomp grinned and said, "Welcome back, you two. I got a special dinner planned for our little champion."

Machop laughed awkwardly and replied, "You know, I haven't actually won the tournament yet," as the dragon shrugged and replied, "Still, you made it this far. That in itself is pretty impressive."

Meloetta nodded with a big smile and said, "It certainly looked hard. I can't imagine doing something like this myself," as Machop shrugged and replied, "You have a point there."

Even so, Machop decided to rest up until Lairon got home. Sure, she had not done any hard work today, but she was still recovering from the race the previous day, not to mention the pain Manectric had dealt to her prior to said event.

Once Lairon returned, he and Garchomp immediately started on dinner. While not as big as the previous celebration dinner, they still intended on making it special, even bringing out their bun steamer, which they rarely ever did. Needless to say, Machop and Meloetta had a lot to look forward to.

During dinner, Lairon grinned and said, "Hey, Machop, the company's closing for the tournament. Even my boss cares more about this than work. So I'll be able to give you instructions for all of your matches."

Machop blinked as Meloetta beamed and squealed, "That's great! Now you might not find yourself in as many tight spots as usual!"

However, the girl looked uncertain as Garchomp stared in confusion, Lairon asking, "What's wrong? I thought you'd be thrilled."

"Well, I'm actually really glad you have all that time off," Machop replied with a smile, "But to be perfectly honest, I kind of want to fight these battles on my own. I feel like I've gotten so much better because of your teachings and I want to see if I can make it as far as the finals without you standing by the ring and giving me advice."

Lairon blinked as the girl sighed, "Don't think I don't appreciate all you've done. I really do, and if I was facing villains-"

"Say no more," the dinosaur replied with a grin, "And don't worry. I'm not upset in the slightest."

"You're not?" all three female heroes remarked as Lairon nodded and said, "Honestly, Machop, I'm proud of you. Hearing you sound this confident because of my teachings makes me proud. Besides, it's a well-known fact that Scyther took forever to learn to fight on her own due to Scizor always being there to give her advice. When she spread her wings and became independent, she became a much better fighter. I truly believe you can do the same."

Machop's eyes sparkled as she nodded and said, "Thank you so much," a few light tears falling from her eyes as Meloetta gave her a sweet smile. Even though the girl and dinosaur were not related, their connection still felt like that of a father and his child.

The rest of the heroes' time off seemed to fly by as it was finally time for the tournament to begin. Everyone was assembled at a location revealed by Beedrill on the morning news for the event at nine, even though the first match would take place at ten.

As it so happened, the location in question was a shopping mall as Isamu, Eiko and Kelani were headed toward a specific area. The doberman's eyes sparkled as he looked around at all the stores. He had been here before, but he always loved coming here just to look at the stores and various other attractions, including a fountain that shot water up rhythmically every so often.

"You know, I heard it on TV, I know where we're headed, and I still can't believe this is where the first match takes place," Isamu sighed as Eiko nodded and replied, "Yeah, I'm not really sure where you can even hold a match here."

Kelani blinked and said, "Maybe it's right there," pointing over a ledge toward an area down below. In this particular area was a big fountain and not only had bleachers been set up around it, but a fighting ring had been placed right in the middle with two ramps leading to it.

Beedrill was seated along with Nori and Yuki as the older woman grinned and said, "Here we are, folks, for the first match of the Hero Olympics tournament! I tell you, this is really exciting as our first match is between two heroes who once teamed up to defeat a pair of villains here."

"Not only that, but it's a known fact that they're also a couple," Yuki replied, "Needless to say, this is going to be a very interesting match," as Beedrill nodded and added, "Though they still have a little less than an hour to prepare themselves. Lucky for them there are staff areas where they can do just that."

Eiko noticed the others were already seated near the front and raced toward them, Isamu grinning and joining her and Kelani. He then took a seat next to Machop and said, "Hey there."

Machop grinned and replied, "Sweet, now we're all together to show our support," Vigoroth sighing, "I was kind of hoping I could have someone to cheer for. Honestly, I don't know who I wanna see win. If Rinko won, it would make an incredible statement for humans, but if Venipede wins, it'll further show just how far he's come."

"Well, I just keep reminding myself it's all friendly competition," Meloetta replied with a light smile, "All I want is for their relationship not to end because of this."

"Pretty sure that won't happen," Machop replied with a light chuckle before turning to Torchic and uttering, "It won't, right?" as the chicken shrugged her shoulders and replied, "I seriously doubt it. Their connection is strong."

Kelani, however, was not completely invested in their conversation as he looked at the two sets of bleachers next to them, asking, "Why are the seats separated by bar thingies?"

"They're called handle bar," Isamu replied, "And, well, one side has the German fans who came here to see this match while the other side is for the Hungarian fans. The bleachers we're sitting in are for everyone else."

"But why separate them?" Kelani asked as the boy sighed, "Unfortunately, if both fanbases were to sit together, they'd likely start fighting with one-another over which country has the better representative."

Kelani had nothing to say to that. Even to him, who had only been alive for almost three months, that sounded petty and childish.

All the while, Venipede was preparing in one of the staff rooms, taking a deep breath and thinking, 'Alright, I can do this. I finally have a chance to make a name for myself. I'm going to take it.'

Rinko was training as well, using a few air punches while thinking, 'Alright, Venipede, even though I love you, I'm not going to hold back. You'd better do the same.'

Once the rest of the hours were up, Beedrill nodded as Nori exclaimed, "Well, folks, this is it! It's finally time for the first match to begin!" the crowd cheering as Yuki exclaimed, "In the red corner, hailing from Germany is someone who's already reached legendary status, at least in this announcer's book! Not only is she a fierce fighter in the ring, but she is also the first human to ever participate in the Hero Olympics! With the speed and spirit of the great Scyther herself, Rinko!"

The crowd went wild as the brunette performed a somersault toward the ring, leaping high into the air and spinning vertically toward the rope. Once close enough, she placed her hands firmly against the material and performed a handstand, pushing herself off of them and landing firmly on her feet.

The brunette had the biggest smile as she thought, 'I can't believe it. I'm actually standing here right now. It's a dream come true.'

"And in the blue corner," Nori stated, "representing Hungary is a tough centipede. He started off as kind of a wimp, but he's overcome his fears and now comes to us today to fight for his country! Introducing Venipede!" the Hungarian fans cheering especially loud when the centipede rolled toward the ring like a wheel.

Once he was close enough, he used his antennae to push himself into the air, leaping over the ropes. He then retracted from his ball-like state and landed on all eights, rising to his feet and folding his arms. The cheers only got louder as a result of this as he started to look more confident.

However, deep down, a part of him still wished he could have gotten a different opponent. He told Rinko that he was fine with this arrangement, that there was nothing wrong with it and yet right now, he just wanted to flee. But at the very least, he did his absolute best not to show it in his eyes, so Rinko did not notice as she gave him a supportive grin, letting him know that she would try her absolute best.

Hopefully, Venipede would be able to get over his anxiety soon. After all, how would Rinko feel if she won only because he held back?


	45. Chapter 45

Venipede and Rinko said nothing as they stood on separate sides of the ring. They just wanted Nori or Yuki to signal the start of the match so they could get this over with.

"Well, folks, the combatants are set," Yuki stated with a smile, "Without further ado, let's get this started!" ringing the bell.

Rinko wasted no time sprinting toward Venipede. He stared silently for a few seconds before shaking his head and attempting to fight back. Unfortunately, he had taken too long and thus Rinko was able to take full advantage of this, sending a roundhouse into his side before striking his chin with a high kick.

The crowd cheered as Rinko dashed behind him and wrapping her arms around him. Venipede wanted to struggle, but just feeling her embrace made him feel nervous as she lifted him up, leaning backward and planting his head hard against the canvas.

The German fans went wild as the Hungarian fans watched in horror, Nori saying, "I guess one can only expect this knowing how long Rinko and Venipede have sparred with one-another. She would know more than anyone just how pointless it is to grapple him from the front."

"Well, at least they're not letting their personal feelings get in the way of the match," Eiko said as Isamu shook his head and sighed, "Well, Rinko's not. I'm not so sure about Venipede."

"Yeah, I'm surprise you didn't notice that," Machop added, "He totally hesitated back there. When Rinko charged at him, she left herself open for a counterattack but he just stood there."

Meloetta nodded but said nothing. A part of her wanted to suggest that maybe Venipede should just give up, but she knew how important this was to him. He could not just forfeit otherwise he could very well end up disgracing his family.

Currently, they were watching from the crowd as Attila exclaimed, "Hey, Venipede, this is a minor setback! Hit her back!" only for Scolipede to sigh, "Honey, I'm not sure he's completely into it. Look."

The man then saw the look of uncertainly in Venipede's eyes as Rinko rushed at him again, this time folding her arms. But just as she was about to hit him again, he let out a deep breath and thought, 'Dad's right. Besides, Rinko wouldn't like it if I held back!'

With that in mind, he waited for her to come close enough before taking hold of her wrists and leaning backward, lifting her up and planting the back of her neck into the mat. The Hungarian fans went wild as Venipede's eyes widened. Thus he released his hold and allowed her to collapse, breathing heavily and resisting the urge to ask if she was okay.

Of course, it would take a lot more than this to defeat Rinko as she easily recovered, pushing herself up with her forearms and sending her feet backward into Venipede's gut. His eyes widened as she propelled herself up, latching her legs onto his head. The German fans cheered wildly as she planted her hands against the mat and lifted Venipede over her head, slamming his skull into the mat while the fountain activated, shooting water into the air.

Kelani stared with a big smile and clapped at the sight of this while Machop sighed, "I should be glad that Rinko's doing so well, but I'm really worried now. Venipede held back again," Isamu nodding and replying, "I could see that, too. He easily could have avoided that."

"Rinko's on fire today!" Nori exclaimed, "First she sets Venipede up for a suplex then she distracts him with another kick before hitting him with a frankensteiner! It's not looking good for the Hungarian centipede, folks!"

Now Rinko was starting to wonder as Venipede slowly rose back to his feet, breathing heavily. But while he had risen, a big part of him just wanted to pretend her frankensteiner had been enough to finish the job. But would it have been a good idea to give her a free victory?

He took one last breath and held up a defensive stance, saying, "Good job, honey, but I still got plenty of fight left in mind," the brunette's doubt leaving her as she smirked and replied, "Good. I'd be disappointed if I took you down that easily."

'That's right,' Venipede thought with a serious look in his eyes, 'I can't let myself lose so easily. She'd hate that.'

With that in mind, the centipede waited for Rinko to charge at him again before sending a palm punch into her forehead. The Hungarian fans cheered as sent the rest of his palms forward. However, he suddenly realized his middle arms would likely run into her chest, thus he only used the other three, striking her face and midsection.

Due to the distraction earlier, though, he ended his assault too soon as Rinko saw an opportunity. With that, she took hold of his lower wrists and sent her head into the area just below his neck. With the centipede distracted, she proceeded to lift him up, placing him atop her shoulder while the German fans went wild.

"Oh no, his head still isn't in this match, is it?" Attila groaned as Scolipede sighed, "It's a shame, too. Rinko seems perfectly okay with him doing his best and yet he can't seem to accept it. I really hope he doesn't keep this up."

Machop noticed them this time and asked, "Hey, is that Venipede's mom?" pointing at Scolipede as Lairon nodded and replied, "Yeah. He couldn't have picked a worse time to get cold feet. They're actually here to see it."

It seemed the others thought the same as Torchic sighed, "I want to tell Venipede to suck it up and try harder, but then it would seem like I'm taking sides," Vigoroth nodding and adding, "Yeah, it's hard to cheer either one on."

"FLYING HAMMER!" Rinko exclaimed as she leapt into the air and leaned backward, planting Venipede's skull into the mat.

"Wow, she's really strong!" Kelani squeaked, "Venipede must be really heavy and yet she can lift him so easily!" Eiko nodding and replying, "It's true. She's been training her whole life and now she's as strong as one of you guys."

Needless to say, the German fans were ecstatic as the Hungarian fans started to boo Venipede, one shouting, "THIS IS THE LOSER REPRESENTING US!?" another barking, "WHY DID THIS GUY HAVE TO MAKE IT TO THE TOURNAMENT AND NOT WYNAUT!?"

The blue blobbish creature just happened to be seated amongst the crowd as he shrugged and uttered, "I don't see why not," the Hungarian audience staring at him.

Even so, Rinko was the one most irritated by their words right now as she gritted her teeth, barking, "ACH TUNG!" the crowd gasping in shock as she sighed, "Venipede, I know for a fact that you are much better than these people think you are. But right now, even I'm having trouble believing it."

"What do you mean?" Venipede uttered as he slowly rose to his feet, the brunette giving him a stern look and retorting, "I can tell you're not trying your best. I've seen you against villains and you always do the best you can. Even when you lost in the past, I could tell you were trying your absolute hardest, that each villain who defeated you had to work toward that victory. Besides, you're able to go toe-to-toe with me during our sparring matches."

"But those aren't official-" Venipede mumbled only for Rinko to cut in and ask, "Where is that spirited centipede I love so much? Because I must be looking at his cowardly twin brother."

Venipede's eyes widened as he pleaded, "But it is me!" as the brunette smiled and replied, "Well, good. Care to prove it to all these people who came to see you represent them?"

Most of the crowd could not believe what they were listening to right now. While Yuki had pointed out the fact that Rinko and Venipede were dating, it still shocked the crowd to hear the centipede's opponent sticking up for him. But even so, the Hungarian fans had calmed down as a result, feeling a tad relieved to know that Venipede had more up his sleeve and had simply not revealed it yet.

Meloetta had a big smile on her face as she said, "Rinko's such a good sport," Eiko nodding and stating, "Listen well, Kelani. You can learn all about good sportsmanship from this."

Venipede still looked unsure until Rinko sighed, "Venipede, I know what you're thinking, and trust me. I won't hate you if you win this match. In fact, if you can beat me while I'm fighting you at my fullest, I'll feel proud of you. And if you still lose, well, I'd feel good knowing you at least tried your best and didn't just hand the victory over to me. But if you hold back, if I don't earn that victory, I don't think I'll be able to look at you the same way again, especially knowing that our relationship motivated you to hold back."

Scolipede's eyes sparkled as she sighed, "Wow, our little Venipede's got himself a keeper," Attila nodding and replying, "I'm already picturing the wedding."

With all of Rinko's words in mind, Venipede took a deep breath and nodded, saying, "Thank you, Rinko. I just about lost sight of why I joined the Olympics. If I'm gonna go down, I'll go down trying my hardest."

Rinko nodded with a grin as she held up a fighting stance and said, "Danke," before racing toward the centipede and sending a roundhouse toward his midsection.

However, Venipede was ready this time as he took hold of her leg. The brunette gasped as he pulled up and caused her to fall on her back. He then kept a firm grip on her leg while wrapping his remaining arms around it, the Hungarian fans going wild as he started to twist her ankle.

"And after taking in such a fierce beating, Venipede fights back with a devastating hold!" Nori exclaimed, Beedrill nodding and adding, "I have to say, that looks even more painful than anything I've witnessed from the Torch family, and they're masters at submission."

"Well, it does help that he has significantly more arms than any of the Torches ever had," Yuki replied.

Venipede saw a look of intense agony on Rinko's face, but just as he was about to loosen his hold, she smirked and grunted, "That's more like it! Keep it up! I could use the challenge!"

The centipede nodded and thought, 'I hope this doesn't cause too much damage, but you asked for it,' as he increased the power of his twist.

However, it seemed this might not last as Rinko lifted her free leg up, sending the foot into Venipede's shin. His eyes widened as he released his hold, thus allowing her to push herself up with her arms, aiming a two-legged kick toward his chin.

However, Venipede was ready this time as he blocked the incoming feet. Rinko was spellbound as he proceeded to kneel down over her, wrapping his arms and legs around her while shouting, "CENTIPEDE BACKBREAKER!"

Excitement grew among the Hungarian crowd as he started to bend Rinko's back, the brunette crying out in pain. However, as much as he hated to hear her suffer like this, he knew that her inner pain would be far worse if he let her go.

"Wow, that escalated quickly," Machop uttered as Meloetta nodded and replied, "It just goes to show what a good pep talk can do."

"Yeah, Venipede's lucky he has someone like Rinko in his life," Torchic stated, "He used to be the most sensitive and easily-scared member of the group. It's hard to believe this is the same guy who had so much self-doubt even after graduation."

While this comeback was certainly impressive, it would not be so easy for Venipede to make Rinko submit as she smirked and said, "I'm proud of you, Venipede. You're really going all-out now, but unfortunately for you, I know how to get out of this."

"Oh god, I should have known you'd have a method," Venipede groaned as Rinko gritted her teeth and used all her might to spin her body. This ultimately caused the centipede's hold to loosen as the brunette freed herself, the German fans cheering.

Rinko then smirked and swung her arm hard into Venipede side, shouting, "ARM SCHWERT!" as he coughed up a bit of green blood and held onto that very spot.

"It still amazes me just how strong her version of the Arm Schwert is," Nori said, "Scyther's involved her forming blades on her arms, so of course it was really tough. Rinko doesn't have that power and yet she can still pack a real punch with it."

With Venipede distracted, Rinko proceeded to send a high kick into the side of his head, knocking him on his left shoulders. Many of the heroes from other countries could not believe what they were seeing. As if a human making it this far was unbelievable enough, to see one putting up this good of a fight was truly a sight to behold. Many of those participating hoped they might get a chance to face her in a later round.

But just as Rinko leapt toward Venipede with her elbow pointed toward him, he recovered just in time to roll to the side. Thus said part hit the mat hard as she winced in pain, the centipede lying on her back and once again wrapping his arms and legs around her. And like before, his top arms were bound to her chin with her lower arms wrapped around her waist and her legs latched to her ankles.

However, there was one major difference. His middle arms were bound to her arms, forcing them upward as Yuki said, "It seems Venipede might be making a modification to his Centipede Backbreaker, but will this make the move any stronger or will he get the same results as before?"

"I get the feeling Venipede's trying something different entirely," Lairon said with a grin, "And if he can pull this off, it might win him the match."

With that, Rinko smirked and said, "I can break free from this too," only for Venipede to imply a smile, saying, "Actually, I just came up with something new. Sorry to use it on you, but you asked for my best."

The brunette blinked before smiling lightly and saying, "Well, if this finishes me off, I'm glad I lost to you."

With that, Venipede propelled himself and Rinko off the mat as he performed vertical flips. Once high enough, he stopped moving as Rinko's belly was facing the mat, the two descending as the centipede exclaimed, "CENTIPEDE MOONSAULT!"

The brunette found herself unable to break free as her belly in the mat hard. She coughed up a bit of blood as everyone stared in shock, Venipede releasing his hold and allowing her to collapse, breathing heavily and looking down at her.

"Did you see that?" Attila asked as Scolipede nodded with an implied smile and said, "He makes this old woman proud. It's one thing to master my techniques, but figuring out one of his own on the fly. That takes an incredible amount of skill."

Rinko lay there as Venipede trembled. He knew Rinko was okay with this, but he was mostly worried that he might have applied enough pressure to put her in the hospital. He wanted to win, but he did not wish to go that far.

Soon enough, Nori counted to ten as Yuki rang the bell, exclaiming, "And after quite a number of close calls brought about by his own anxiety, Venipede has still won the match and makes his way to the second round!" the Hungarian fans going wild as the German fans bowed their heads in respect to Rinko. After all, seeing a human come that close was amazing in itself.

"Damn," Vigoroth uttered, "Guess he had it in him after all," Meloetta nodding and squeaking, "I'm just glad it's over. I couldn't stand to watch them beat each other up any longer."

With his victory now official, Venipede knelt down and rubbed Rinko's cheek, asking, "You okay?"

The brunette slowly opened her eyes and gave him a sweet smile, saying, "Congratulations, big boy," before lifting her arms up and holding him a tight embrace, the crowd staring briefly before letting out a collective 'Aw'.

"It's so beautiful!" Nori squealed, "Even after fighting each other, their love will never die!" as Yuki let out a sigh and said, "And there you go, ruining the moment with an over-dramatic speech."

Even so, it seemed the tournament was already off to a good start as Venipede helped Rinko up and walked her toward the bleachers, Beedrill saying, "As always, the second match will take place in five minutes. Thus I'd recommend our next two contestants get ready."

Gallador nodded and rose to his feet, thinking, 'So those are the kinds of allies Machop has. Not bad,' before heading toward a staff room to ready himself.

Gyarados did the same with a serious look on her face. While she did know of Gallador's connection to Machop, she still fully intended to do the absolute best she could. After all, she wanted to face the girl in a rematch.

Venipede and Rinko soon joined the others in the crowd as Meloetta smiled and said, "I'm glad that's over," Kelani asking, "Are you two still in love?"

"Oh, don't you worry about a thing," Rinko replied with a grin, "Our love will never die," the two sharing a kiss as the doberman stuck out his tongue and shielded his eyes.

"Say, Gallador's your cousin, right?" Torchic asked Machop as she nodded and replied, "I know what you're thinking. I'm not really sure who to root for this time either. On one hand, Gyarados is a friend, but Gallador's family. Besides, I kinda want to face him at some point."

"Really?" Vigoroth asked as Machop nodded and sighed, "We used to have sparring matches during the summer before I turned ten. I always beat him, but only because he'd hold back. See, I'm two years younger, so he always felt obligated to letting me win, but I didn't realize it until I was older and really took the time to think about it."

"I see," Lairon replied with a grin, "You wanna beat him legitimately," Machop nodding as Meloetta was finally starting to understand this competition. While these fights were not good versus evil struggles, they were a way of showing the world that they were in good hands. They wanted to show people just how amazing their abilities were.

Isamu smiled and said, "Well, if you do face him, I just know you can beat him," Machop nodding and replying, "Thanks. It's been so long, though. I wonder just how good he's gotten."

Once the five minutes were up, Beedrill exclaimed, "Alright, folks, it's time for the second match to get underway! Nori, would you do the honours?"

"You bet," the woman replied with a grin, "In the red corner, one of two fighters representing France, he possesses amazing speed and skill! His father's track record wasn't exactly impressive, but he was still a force to be reckoned with, so I would certainly expect something similar from him! Give a warm welcome to Gallador!"

The French fans and most of the crowd cheered wildly as the boy sprinted toward the ring. Once close enough, he leapt high into the air and twirled like a propeller, landing gracefully on the ring. He then spread his arms out dramatically and bent down on one knee, the cheers getting louder.

"What an entrance!" Yuki exclaimed as Machop waved, Gallador looking up with a light smile and waving back. He wanted her to see just how good he could be when fighting seriously and not handing his opponent a victory.

Garbodor, all the while, narrowed his eyelids and thought, 'You'd better win this match. I want you as my opponent in the semi-finals! No one else!'

"And in the blue corner," Yuki stated, "She is a powerful serpent who defeated both Rinko and Venipede at the same time! Once a villain but now fighting for the side of good and representing Iceland, it is my pleasure to bring you Gyarados!"

The serpent received more cheers as she approached the ring. After all, the citizens of Tokyo had actually seen her in action, so they knew what she was capable of. Needless to say, they wanted to see her win this match.

As she entered the ring, she turned to face Machop with a grin and waved, Gallador blinking and asking, "You know her?"

"Oh yes," Gyarados replied, "She was the one who helped me see the light," Gallador smiling and saying, "Well, here's to a good match," the crowd even more hyped up when the two shook hands before approaching separate sides of the ring.

But while the audience was loving this, Garbodor was barely paying attention as he stared at Machop and thought, 'She has some sort of connection to him. Perhaps defeating her will be satisfying, but I won't feel truly happy unless I beat him.'

Would Gallador win this match and give Garbodor the chance he wanted or would Gyarados have a rematch with Venipede and possibly Machop? No one knew what would happen, but it was certainly exciting.


	46. Chapter 46

Gallador and Gyarados were more than ready for their match as Yuki stated, "Well, folks, the fighters look more than ready to go! Thus I think it's time for this match to begin!" ringing the bell and signalling the start.

Gyarados wasted no time leaping toward Gallador with her tail directed toward his skull. The white boy saw this coming as he lifted up his arms only for the serpent to lower her tail, driving it into his midsection. Thus his eyes and mouth widened briefly as the Icelandic fans cheered wildly.

Gyarados did not end her assault there as she wrapped her tail around Gallador's waist, trapping him in place as she sent a barrage of punches into his face. Machop watched this in silence, uttering, "Damn, Gyarados has gotten a bit better, and she was already intimidating before."

"I'll say," Torchic groaned, "Her tactics when facing you were pretty smart, but not this smart. By trapping Gallador in place, she's made it really difficult for him to counter."

"And after hitting Gallador hard with her tail, Gyarados sends an onslaught of punches into his face," Nori stated, "Not only that, but Gallador seems completely unable to fight back," the Icelandic crowd cheering even louder as the French fans stared in horror.

As if that was not enough, the fifteenth punch was enough to draw blood. As if Gallador being a sitting duck was not enough, his opponent had already managed to make him bleed. Considering how early in the match it was, this was no small feat.

Even so, the white boy refused to let himself lose this easily, especially with Machop watching. As such, he slowly lifted up his arms and held them in front of his face in an X formation. To make things better for him, the blade sides were pointed forward, so when Gyarados' sixteenth punch made contact, her fist came open as she winced in pain.

Gallador smirked as he saw this as the perfect opportunity. But just as he was about to take full advantage of this, Gyarados quickly realized her current strategy would no longer work. Thus she leaned backward with her tail still bound to the boy and planted her hands against the mat, lifting him up and slamming the back of his head into the canvas.

The crowd continued to cheer for the serpent as Yuki exclaimed, "Gyarados was already a threat before, but she's on fire today! It seems that loss to Machop over two months ago has motivated her to think even more logically, and lord knows a mix of strength and intelligence is a deadly one!"

Machop watched in silence and sighed, "I should be happy for Gyarados, but I really hope Gallador can turn this around. I thought for sure he'd be better than this," Torchic sighing, "Well, don't count him out just yet. Try to remember how common matches like these are. Just when you think one hero's gonna lose, the other makes an amazing comeback."

Eiko nodded and added, "That happens to you a lot, Machop," the girl blinking and replying, "You know, you have a point there."

It seemed the same might not happen to Gallador as he slowly struggled to get up only for Gyarados to wrap her arms around him, planting her teeth into his shoulder. The white boy cried out in agony as she said through gritted teeth, "I hate to end this so quickly, but I intend to win."

She then leapt into the air and dove toward the turnbuckle, shouting, "DRAGON DIVE!" thus planting Gallador's forehead into the pole while the Icelandic fans were even more thrilled.

As Gyarados released her hold and allowed the white boy to collapse, Machop stared in stunned silence while Kelani said, "Wow, that Gyarados is really strong. Gallador didn't stand a chance."

Eiko was about to object to him saying that around Machop, but right now, she had trouble arguing with this. While it was common for Machop and her friends to sustain large amounts of damage and continue fighting, none of them had seen Gallador in combat. For all they knew, this might have very well been the best he could do.

The French fans were beyond worried. Unlike Venipede, Gallador was well-known in France, and this was because unlike his father, Gallade, he actually had a good track record. So to see him perform this horribly was disheartening to say the least.

Currently, though, Garbodor was the only one truly infuriated by this as he gritted his teeth and thought, 'Don't you dare lose, you son of a bitch! You're doing this on purpose just to spite me, aren't you!? I swear to god, if you lose this match, I'll walk into that ring and make your injuries worse!'

However, shortly after Nori started the ten count, she stopped when Gallador groaned and rose to his feet, rubbing his head. There was no way he would allow the serpent to win as he breathed heavily, saying, "Not bad. I can tell Machop must have had quite a tough time facing you, but it'll take a lot more than that to take me down. I'm not just a member of the Beaulieu family but also the Hitmon family. In other words, I have my mom's strength and resilience while also possessing my dad's speed."

With that in mind, the white boy charged at Gyarados as the serpent was ready to counter him with her tail. But when she did so, he easily leapt over it and sent his feet into her forehead. He used them to propel himself behind her before wrapping his arms around her shoulders and lifting her up, leaning backward and planting the back of her head into the canvas.

The French fans went wild as Yuki stated, "And after taking in quite a beating early on, it seems Gallador was not kidding as he makes quite an impressive comeback."

Garbodor took a deep breath and thought, 'Okay, so he is taking this seriously,' Machop applauding him but saying nothing. After all, she could not just cheer him on knowing he was facing one of her friends.

Even so, there was no way Gyarados would let this be enough as she used this chance to wrap her tail around Gallador's neck. His eyes widened as she used all her might to force the back of his head into the mat before he could release his hold on her. And it did not end there as the serpent once again placed her hands against the mat and lifted him up, setting him up for a frankensteiner.

Unfortunately for her, Gallador was prepared this time as he threw his arms upward. Thus when he was close enough, his hands made contact with the mat as opposed to his head.

The crowd went wild as Gallador smirked and sent his feet downward into Gyarados' chest. This caused just enough damage to get her to let go as the white boy propelled himself upright, the serpent slowly rising and breathing heavily with a look of shock in her eyes.

"I can tell you're related to Machop, alright," she said with a smirk, "You have her spirit, not to mention her knack for getting out of tight spots," Gallador blinking and uttering, "So she's capable of that too? Now I really wanna fight her for real."

"I hate to burst your bubble, but I'm gonna face her in a rematch soon," Gyarados remarked as she leapt at Gallador with her arm out, ramming it into his neck. However, he was shocked when despite its incredible force, he still managed to stay up.

"How did that not knock him down?" Eiko asked as Isamu shrugged and replied, "No clue."

"I think I know," Machop stated, "Uncle Gallade has this amazing ability to avoid being forced back by spreading his legs out," as Garchomp uttered, "Yeah, but Gallador's not doing that. Look."

All of them were shocked to see this was true, save for Venipede and Rinko as the brunette said, "I know exactly what's going on. Gyarados used the same move to knock me out when we fought her."

Before Gallador could even attempt to take advantage of the fact that he was still standing, Gyarados tightened her grip on his neck before leaping into the air. She then spun around, forming a twister around the two and flipping one-hundred-and-eighty degrees. Before the white boy could even respond, she drove his head hard into the mat while shouting, "HURRICANE HOOK!"

The Icelandic crowd went wild as Nori stated, "It would seem that clothesline was merely setup for Gyarados' Hurricane Hook. I have to say, that certainly threw me off-guard," as Beedrill nodded and replied, "For a second there, I thought maybe Gyarados was holding back."

However, her eyes widened when a member of the French crowd pointed and exclaimed, "Hey, guys, look!" the crowd gasping as the spike atop Gallador's head had hit the mat, thus cushioning the blow.

Gyarados panicked as she released her hold on the white boy, leaping away from him and breathing heavily. Machop may have been a tough adversary for her, but she had been nowhere near this intimidating, at least not until the last few minutes of their match. But as bad as Gallador's start had been, he was already proving to be a major challenge.

"As you can see," he said with a light grin, "I adapt to my opponents pretty well. You have some impressive moves, I'll admit, but now that I've taken in enough of them, it's gonna be hard to hit me again."

With that in mind, the serpent took a deep breath and grunted, "Alright. I didn't want to use this, but you've given me no choice," many staring in silence as her tail expanded on the bottom. That extra bit of fat moved up to her head like a pump as that very part continued to get bigger each second.

"What's up with your head?" Gallador uttered, not sure whether to be scared or laugh as Yuki stated, "Gyarados did a similar thing when she fought Machop. But is she preparing what we think she is?"

The viewers from Tokyo certainly had a feeling of what would happen next as the Icelandic fans nodded. However, much like Gallador, the French fans were confused. If anything, seeing Gyarados' head inflating like this made them wonder if they should be worried or not. How did they know her head would not explode if this kept up?

Machop wanted so badly to warn Gallador about what was coming, but Gyarados was still her friend. As such, she kept her mouth shut, though deep down, she really hoped her cousin would be able to work around this. After all, this same tactic had given her a lot of trouble when she faced the serpent.

And sure enough, once Gyarados' head was big enough, she opened her mouth and unleashed a stream of water. However, this did not show the results everyone expected. Rather than creating a big cube of water, it went under Gallador's feet and formed a spiral reaching toward the sky.

At first, this confused the white boy until he noticed a current rising up. With that, he found himself unable to fight it as he cried out in horror, his feet being forced toward the top of the spiral.

"I actually didn't see that coming at all," Nori uttered as Beedrill asked, "What did you expect to happen there?"

Before either woman could answer, Gyarados leapt at the spiral and allowed it to carry her up toward Gallador with her fists pointed upward, shouting, "WHIRLPOOL UPPERCUT!"

Gallador was unable to respond as he took both fists to his chin, coughing up a bit of blood. However, things soon got worse for him as the water collapsed, forming a cube of the substance on top of the ring as Nori stated, "That's what I was expecting."

"It's funny, before, I could only form my signature water ring with that ability," Gyarados stated as she took hold of Gallador and flipped his back toward the mat, descending toward it with her tail pointed upward, "However, ever since I started training in Hero School, I've picked up a few new tricks I can use with my water, and this is one of them."

Gallador was in too much panic to even care about her words as he soon found himself submerged, his back hitting the mat hard as he coughed up a bit of blood. The Icelandic fans cheered wildly as Machop winced, uttering, "Thank god she never used that against me."

"Yeah," Lairon replied, "Even I couldn't have found a way around that," Garbodor's eye twitching as he clenched his fists.

"That Gallador's doomed now!" one Icelandic fan exclaimed as another nodded and replied, "Yeah, once Gyarados activates her water ring, she's practically unstoppable."

But while it had been a challenge for Machop to fight with this ring in effect, Gallador was not the same. Due to him having Gallade and Hitmonchan's genetics, he was an excellent swimmer and thus this was just a minor setback to him as he held his breath and sent his feet into Gyarados' gut.

She gritted her teeth and thought, 'No! Your cousin may be my friend, but that doesn't mean I'm gonna yield to you!' and thus she wrapped her arms around him and bit into his shoulder just like she had done earlier.

"Here it comes, folks!" Yuki shouted, "The infamous Dragon Dive! Let's see if it actually finishes him this time!"

But just as Gyarados was about to take to the air, Gallador ignored the pain to his shoulder and smirked. The crowd gasped as he latched his legs onto her tail and used all his might to pry himself downward, thus causing him to slip out of her embrace.

The serpent's eyes and mouth were wide with shock as he proceeded to spread his arms out, sending them downward in an X formation. Had the serpent been completely focused, she could have easily avoided this, but since his escape had left her spellbound, she was unable to respond as she took two big slashes to her midsection.

Everyone stared in shock, Kelani shielding his eyes as the water started to vibrate. And sure enough, the ring collapsed as most of the water fell out of the ring. Gyarados, all the while, had her arms spread out as her body twitched, her eyes and mouth still wide open.

Nori started the ten count as everyone stared, the Icelandic fans cheering for Gyarados to rise. However, the French fans and Machop felt that this truly was it as soon enough, the announcer reached the number in question.

Yuki then rang the bell and exclaimed, "And after a rather intense match, Gallador wins and moves onto the second round!" the French fans going wild as Vigoroth whistled and said, "Damn, Machop, Gallador's pretty awesome."

"Yeah," Machop replied with a light nod, "I just hope he didn't hurt Gyarados too much."

It seemed this was the case as the serpent slowly pushed herself upright, saying, "Funny, I thought for sure I'd be in more pain after that."

"Hey, I'm not gonna put one of Machop's friends in the hospital," the white boy replied with a shrug, "Though I have to admit, you were a great first opponent," as he held out his hand and helped her rise up completely.

The crowd applauded both of them as they shook hands, Venipede breathing a sigh of relief and saying, "Thank god. I don't want him putting me in the hospital," as Machop nodded and replied, "Oh yeah, you're facing him next."

She then grinned, glad to see neither were bitter about the results as Gallador turned to her and thought, 'Well, I won my match. Make sure you win yours, Machop, because I wanna see if you can beat me for real.'

With all said and done, the two heroes exited the ring as Beedrill stated, "These first couple of matches have certainly been exciting, but now it's time to change locations as our next pair of matches take place in an hour. Thus we will be switching to the Nissan Stadium," bringing up a map and pointing to the location.

The audience very quickly rose to head there while Lairon grinned and said, "We best hurry, eh, Machop? Your match is next," the girl nodding and replying, "Oh yeah, that's a good point."

"It's actually kind of ironic, isn't it?" Garchomp asked with a grin, "Your father also fought in the third match when he joined the Hero Olympics," Kelani squealing, "Maybe it's fate!"

Jackalu and Clawitzer were about to take off when the dog grinned and said, "Hey, wait up," Clawitzer shrugging and replying, "Alright, but don't spend too long talking to her, okay?"

Slurpuff, meanwhile, got up and said, "Wow, those two matches were so awesome. I hope the next ones are even awesomer," many teenaged girls joining him with hearts in their eyes, the cake dog continuing to ooze cuteness with the most sincere smile on his face.

While Eiko had tried to teach Kelani not to feel envious of anyone, seeing a dog older than him soak up all this attention while the pink-haired girl was the only one who paid any mind to him made it hard not to. Besides, Slurpuff looked more like a dessert than an actual creature. What did he have that made him stand out so much?

Whatever the case, his train of thought came to a halt when Jackalu approached Machop with a grin and said, "Hey, big match coming up, eh?" Machop nodding and replying, "Yeah. You'll be watching, right?" laughing nervously as her cheeks flushed pink.

Isamu narrowed his eyelids but said nothing as Eiko's eyes sparkled, the pink-haired girl nudging him and whispering, "Oh my god, do you see what I see?"

Torchic and the others could see it as well, though this still came as a shock to them. Up until now, Machop seemed to have no interest in romance, and if she only knew that Jackalu shared her feelings, she would have no problem admitting them right now.

After a small conversation, Machop said, "Well, anyway, I gotta wipe the floor with my first opponent. Who knows? Maybe we'll face off in the finals just like our folks did, eh?"

Jackalu grinned and replied, "Yeah, I'd like that. Let's do our best to make sure that happens, eh?" the girl nodding as Meloetta blinked in confusion. Though this had been more-or-less explained to her before, she still could not help but wonder why people in this age had so much trouble confessing their feelings.

"Be sure to pay attention during my match later," Jackalu said, "You only saw me when I went up against two opponents at once, but trust me, in a one-on-one match, I'm deadly."

He then flexed his muscles, or lack thereof as Machop beamed and replied, "I definitely believe that. I'm looking forward to seeing you in action again. I barely saw anything from you before."

With that, the two walked off to join their respective friends, Clawitzer watching Machop and thinking, 'Wow, she really does share his feelings. Maybe I should tell him,' before realizing that might not be a good idea right now.

If they admitted their feelings before their matches, it could very well distract them and cause at least one of them to lose. At the very least, Clawitzer did not wish to see Jackalu lose the first round. If anything, she felt lucky that it would be possible for her to face him in the second round.

Soon enough, everyone had arrived at the stadium. Needless to say, many were excited, though a few who had seen the Olympics before were surprised to see the next match taking place in an actual sports stadium. Normally, this sort of location was saved for the semi-finals.

With a half-hour to go, Machop was preparing her entrance while thinking, 'Okay, I'm only doing this because Lairon would want me to,' before putting on a garbage man outfit and picking up a broom.

The others once again found front-row seats as Vigoroth said, "It's good to finally have a match where only one of our friends is fighting."

"You said it," Torchic replied, "Seriously, not knowing who to cheer for was kind of distressing," as Meloetta smiled and said, "I just hope Machop does her best."

And soon enough, the wait was over as Beedrill calmed everyone down. With the match underway, the crowd's excitement once again rose. Would Machop win or would she suffer her second defeat on Earth?


	47. Chapter 47

"Ladies and gentlemen!" Beedrill exclaimed, "We've waited long enough! It's finally time for the third match of the Hero Olympics tournament!" the crowd going wild as the wasp nodded at Yuki.

"In the red corner," the young woman stated, "the other hero representing France is a true wonder in the ring! She has saved us time and time again from a variety of villains! The daughter of Machoke and sure to dazzle us some more, Machop!"

The crowd was about to cheer before noticing the girl approach the ring with a stone cold look while sporting a garbage man outfit. All the while, some weird, upbeat song about garbage men played in the background as Machop twirled her broom over her head, Lairon grinning and saying, "I was actually going to suggest an entrance like that. I didn't think she'd actually do it, though. Makes an old dinosaur proud."

But while the majority of the crowd was confused, once Machop entered the ring, Jackalu clapped and exclaimed, "Wow! That was awesome!" Clawitzer remarking, "What!?"

Machop blushed lightly as the dog added, "Think about it. She just declared war on all garbage, and her opponent is made of garbage. How do you not see the genius in that?"

Those listening to him had to admit he had a point as they smiled and applauded the girl, her eyes sparkling as she thought, 'He actually got them to like one of these stupid entrances. Oh my god, he's so perfect!' hearts forming in her eyes until she remembered the match and cleared her throat, removing the outfit.

Gallador, all the while, folded his arms and smiled, thinking, 'Good to know she's really serious about this. For a second there, I thought for sure she might end up being too freaked out to fight this guy. After all, being near garbage always freaked her out so much back in the day.'

He remembered back to one summer when he came by to visit, the first time Machop tried to take out the trash. She made the mistake to dragging the bag along the pavement and thus a section of it opened up as all the contents spilled out. Machop tried desperately to put the garbage back in, but while doing so, she wound up getting her hands covered in waste. And because she was only eight at the time, it made her cry as even after putting all the stuff back in the bag, it all fell back out as the hole got bigger.

She remembered that as well. And unbeknownst to Gallador, she never attempted to take out the trash again. She knew full-well what she did wrong yet she still refused to so much as try.

Needless to say, seeing her so confident about facing an adversary made entirely out of the stuff she had hated so much was truly astounding. But whether that was enough to win her the match was a whole other thing.

"In the blue corner," Nori stated, "representing Sweden is... um," the older woman letting out a sigh and uttering, "I have no idea how to build this guy up without insulting him."

"Hold on, I got this," Yuki said as she took hold of her own microphone only to tense up, a look of fear in her eyes as Beedrill uttered, "Wait, I got it."

He then cleared his throat and stated, "Though he may look disgusting on the outside, he's a good, clean fighter on the inside, working hard to protect the innocent from that which is more threatening than his-" only to stop himself and let out a nervous gulp.

Everyone stared at him in stunned silence as the wasp held out his arm and exclaimed, "Garbodor, everyone!"

The Swedish fans decided they may as well ignore the lacklustre introduction as they cheered. The garbage heap walked toward the ring with a lead pipe in his hands as everyone watched with curiosity. Once he entered the ring, he had a wicked smirk on his face as Machop started to tense up, nervous sweat pouring down her face.

'Now that I think about it, I never really got a good look at this guy until now,' she thought as she could not help but fixate on the fact that his head was a ripped garbage bag with a hole on the bottom significantly bigger than the one she had created.

As if that was not enough, his face in general was terrifying with his perfectly round eyes and his razor sharp teeth. The only thing about him that looked remotely attractive was a wide assortment of blue and pink rocks that were caked into various parts of his body.

Once Garbodor entered the ring, he smirked and said, "Everyone, pay attention!" holding the pipe over his head, "I'm about to show you what I'm gonna do to Machop today!"

The crowd watched with much interest as he proceeded to bend the pipe down the middle, threateningly shouting, "By the time I'm done, this is gonna be your spine!" the girl trembling in terror as Gallador's eyes widened, the white boy thinking, 'Oh no! She hasn't gotten over her fear at all!'

"Geez, I hope he's not serious about that," Jackalu groaned, "This is a fight between heroes. He wouldn't go so far as to put a hero out of commission, right?" Clawitzer sighing, "I'm pretty sure he's just trying to sound intimidating."

Isamu and Lairon were just as concerned as Gallador right now. Machop was not the kind to show this much fear of an opponent. All they could hope for was that this would not last. After all, she had faced many a powerful adversary before.

"Well, folks, the combatants are set," Yuki stated, "Without further ado, let's begin!" before ringing the bell.

Garbodor wasted no time rushing toward Machop with his arms at the ready. Lairon noticed this and smirked, saying, "What a moron. He's left himself wide open with that sloppy setup."

Unfortunately, it seemed this hardly mattered as just as Machop was about to counter, she tensed up and trembled. Her heart wanted her to move, but her head was preventing her from doing so as she took a hard punch to the face. The crowd gasped as she backed up toward the ropes, resting her arms against them with her eyes and mouth wide open.

She then grimaced and rubbed the side of her face, wiping a bit of waste off as she tried her hardest not to freak out. After all, doing so in front of all these people, let alone the French fans, would have been embarrassing.

"Machop was unable to protect herself from that punch," Nori stated, "It's not like her to just let herself get hit like that," as Garbodor smirked and said, "Guess I'm just too intimidating."

Gallador bit his lower lip and thought, 'No, it can't be. Maybe Garbodor was just moving too quickly. That has to be it,' while the others started to worry about her as well.

The girl took a deep breath and frowned, grunting, "That was a lucky shot!" before rushing toward Garbodor. However, just as it looked like she was about to go in for the attack, she once again tensed up and slowed down her movement, giving the heap more than enough time to take hold of her face.

Needless to say, having garbage shoved into her face was more than Machop could bear as Garbodor flung her into the turnbuckle, a big grin on his face as the Swedish fans went wild. But while they were happy, everyone else was still concerned.

Now there was no doubt in Gallador's mind. Machop had not gotten over her fear of touching garbage, making Garbodor the worst opponent she could have gotten.

To make matters worse, the heap was not even close to finished as he pointed his fingers at her, shouting, "GUNK SHOT!" letting loose three piles of trash toward her.

The girl could no longer hide her fear as she let out a loud shriek, leaping over them. Once she landed on the mat, she turned toward the big mound that had formed as a result and breathed heavily, sweat pouring down her face as it seemed Garbodor was right. He was too intimidating for her.

"Oh my god, this is just too precious!" the heap exclaimed with a maniacal laugh, "The daughter of Machoke is scared of garbage! Well, I'm going to enjoy this!" before pointing at Gallador and adding, "And you'd better watch closely, because I know you care about her for whatever reason!"

The white boy tensed up as the others stared in shock, Lairon uttering, "Is this true? Oh god, why didn't she tell me!? I could have helped her get over that!" Torchic sighing, "Maybe she didn't want you to put off training for something so trivial. But you're right, she really should have said something. I could have helped her easily."

"How?" Meloetta asked as the chicken shrugged and replied, "I would have shown her just how easy it is to burn it," the others staring as Rinko sighed, "You know burning garbage is against the law, right?"

Torchic's eyes widened as she uttered, "It is? Oh, shit," as Vigoroth sighed, "We'll discuss that later. Machop needs help right now."

This was certainly the case as Garbodor smirked and unleashed a large burp, shouting, "BELCH!" while doing so. A large cloud of gas flew toward Machop and covered her as she started gagging, the heap saying, "Sorry, but I prefer to reuse my food even after it's been digested."

"Why did he just feel the need to tell us that?" Eiko asked as Isamu sighed, "I think I know why, but it's too stupid to say," Kelani blinking as Eiko told him never to use that word himself.

"Now, audience, watch as I reduce Machop in size!" Garbodor stated as Machop tried to flee for her life only for him to lift her up by the head and use his both his hands to roll her up into a ball.

"Oh, I know!" Kelani squealed, "He's gonna recycle her now, right!?" Isamu sighing, "See? Even a child can figure out where that was going."

Garbodor ignored these words as he proceeded to lift Machop high above his head before shouting, "RECYCLE BOMB!" sending her hard into the mat as she retracted from her ball-like state and groaned.

While the move had certainly hurt, Machop was more concerned about the fact that she was now covered head to toe in waste. As such, she immediately rolled around on the mat in a desperate attempt to wipe it all off, Garbodor pointing and laughing while shouting, "WHAT A WIMP!"

Even the crowd was unsure how to feel about this. On one hand, some members of the crowd could sympathize with Machop. They, too, knew how disgusting it was just to look at garbage, let alone smell it. But on the other hand, Garbodor was a living being who surprisingly did not even leave waste behind whenever he moved. To treat him like a common everyday pile of trash was disrespectful to say the least.

However, Gallador knew something he could say as he barked, "Hey, Machop!" the girl turning to him as he stated, "During the race, that guy attacked me but I managed to fight him off without getting any of that garbage juice on me! Do you know how I pulled it off!?"

Machop shook her head as Garbodor gritted his teeth, growling, "I remember that! I was just seconds away from stopping him from finishing the race when he kicked me in the face!" all going silent as Lairon nodded and said, "Wonder why that never crossed my mind."

Machop then fixated on the bag that made up his head, and while it was painful to see a hole in the bottom of it, it was the only part of him was that not made entirely out of garbage. With that in mind, the girl grinned and shook some waste off of her arms, saying, "Now I know how to hurt you."

Garbodor stood silently and growled, "GODDAMMIT, NOW I HAVE ANOTHER REASON HATE YOU, GALLADOR!" before racing toward Machop, the crowd gasping as Meloetta uttered, "So all of this is because of a grudge he has against Machop's cousin?"

"Is he really that butthurt over getting kicked in the face?" Eiko asked as Isamu shook his head and replied, "No, I get the feeling he's had this grudge since before that happened."

Whatever the case, Machop was more than ready now as she waited for Garbodor to get close enough. Since he was using the same sloppy form he had before, he was wide open as the girl sent a hard punch into his face. The French fans went wild as the girl leapt into the air, planting her feet into his skull thus knocking him on his back.

"And now that Machop has found a spot not covered in trash, she's finally able to fight back," Yuki said as Nori sighed, "Even so, I'm kinda disappointed we had to wait this long."

With the heap down, Machop proceeded to leap toward his face with her elbow at the ready. However, she started to panic when he smirked and folded his forearms in front of his face for protection. As such, she broke form as her body landed hard against Garbodor's, her teeth gritted as her mouth and eyes twitched.

Gallador's eyes widened as Garbodor rose to his feet with his arms now wrapped around Machop, grunting, "You know, I did a bit of research about you when I noticed you had some sort of connection to Gallador. I never would have guessed you and him came from the same family tree. My whole aim when I discovered he had qualified for the Olympics was to defeat him, but now that I know you're related to him, I'm going to enjoy wiping the canvas with you almost as much!"

With that, he proceeded to ram the girl's face hard into the turnbuckle as the Swedish crowd went wild, Torchic groaning, "Oh no! And she finally stood a chance, too!"

Machop was now bleeding as Garbodor lifted her up for a powerbomb, slamming her forehead into the turnbuckle. To top it all off, he proceeded to fling her over his head before turning around with his fingers pointed outward, shouting, "Since you hate being covered in my juices so much, I figure this is the best way to end this match!"

With that, he proceeded to let loose large clumps of garbage like before while shouting, "GUNK SHOT!" sending them hard into the girl as she fell on her back, now covered in the stuff.

All went silent as Nori uttered, "That looked painful. I don't think Machop can get up from that," as Yuki started the ten count.

Clawitzer winced at the sight of this before turning to Jackalu and gasping. The dog was not even watching the match anymore. Instead, he had his cellphone out and was currently looking up something on the Internet. The shrimp was just about to strike him before leaning over and seeing the page he was on.

Garbodor smirked and folded his arms, saying, "Good. Now I'll just blast through the next round and get my revenge on your cousin. After what your uncle did to me, it'll be so satisfying to make your entire family pay."

"Wait, what!?" came a familiar voice as the crowd gasped, Machop rising up from under the trash just as Yuki reached six.

The French fans were unsure whether to cheer or not as Machop seemed to ignore the fact that she was once again drenched in waste. Kelani, however, winced and groaned, "Ew, she has a bunch of garbage juice on her."

The girl suddenly noticed this as she squeaked, "OH MY GOD!" running around while waving her arms up and down to get all the liquid off of her while Garbodor gritted his teeth and growled, "You should have stayed down!"

Machop panicked once more as Garbodor closed in on her only for Jackalu to put his phone away and exclaim, "HEY, MACHOP, WHAT THE HELL IS THIS!?"

The girl gasped and dodged to the right just in time to avoid the heap as the dog barked, "Where's that awesome warrior princess who saved me from Gourgeist and Trevenant!? You took on two scary-looking creatures of the night, yet a broken garbage bag scares you!?"

Machop blinked as Garbodor groaned, "Did he have to put it like that?" as Jackalu added, "Look, I don't like garbage either. Hell, I'm a canine. I can smell it from anywhere. But even so, it's just stuff that you put on a bag for the garbage men to pick up. You looked so prepared for this when you entered the ring and yet now you look like you were never prepared for this match to begin with."

The girl was about to retort only for Jackalu to sigh, "Besides, Garbodor's not as scary as you think. In fact, there's a reason the Swedes and those in the area he protects like him so much. It's because he actually cleans up more litter in his free time than anyone else."

All went silent as Rinko blinked and uttered, "Wow. I never would have expected that," as the others nodded, Isamu saying, "Well, you know what they say. You can't judge by appearances."

"Is that true?" Machop uttered as Garbodor shrugged and replied, "Well, it kinda benefits me, too. You see, since I'm living garbage, I can literally eat anything and it always tastes good to me and never ruins my health. Not only that, but every now and then, I'll drink some of that toxic waste people dump in rivers and lakes and one time when an ally of mine was poisoned, I sucked it right out of the cut."

"Wow, he's a good guy," Gallador said with a sweet smile as Machop grinned, saying, "You know, I don't feel so scared of you anymore."

Garbodor blinked and uttered, "Oh shit," as the girl advanced toward him, Garchomp breathing a sigh of relief and saying, "Not gonna lie. I was actually kinda worried she'd lose this one."

With Machop no longer afraid, Garbodor had lost his confidence as she leapt up toward him and latched her ankles around his neck. She then pulled upward thus propelling herself and the heap above the ring, flipping him upside-down. Though what truly amazed the crowd was when she placed a firm grip on his feet.

"METEOR WARHEAD!" she exclaimed as Garbodor gritted his teeth, knowing his body could no longer repel the girl as his head made contact with the canvas.

The French fans went wild as Gallador grinned and applauded his cousin, thinking, 'She's mastered Aunt Gardevoir's best solo finisher. Not bad, Machop. Not bad at all,' as Nori started the ten count.

Lairon grinned and said, "Good job," as Jackalu clapped and exclaimed, "THAT'S THE MACHOP I KNOW!"

Clawitzer shrugged and replied, "Well, that certainly looked effective," Meloetta breathing a sigh of relief and saying, "I have to admit, I was actually worried for a second."

Soon enough, Nori reached ten as Yuki rang the bell, exclaiming, "And despite coming very close to failure, Machop shows that Mach family spirit and wins the match!" the French crowd even more ecstatic as the others showed their support as well.

All went silent, though, when Garbodor slowly rose to his feet, breathing heavily and growling, "NO! I WAS SUPPOSED TO HAVE MY REVENGE!" only for Machop to sigh, "Look, Garbodor, you seem reasonable, so I'm willing to bet you probably had a good reason to hate my family. What did Uncle Gallade do to you that was so horrible?"

The heap blinked and uttered, "You mean you don't know?" Gallador shrugging and replying, "In all fairness, I don't know either. This is the first I've heard of this."

"Well, then, I'll tell you," Garbodor grunted before folding his arms and explaining, "It was during the three-legged race in the twenty-second Hero Olympics. My father was running for his dream, hope in his eyes, a song in his heart when suddenly, a blade-wielding psychopath ran over to him and slashed him open. He said it was a miracle that he lived through that horrible experience, but he was never able to make it to the tournament because of that moment."

The crowd stared in shock as Yuki whispered, "Hey, Mom, do you know who his dad is?" Beedrill overhearing this and replying, "That's right, Garbodor, your father's name is Trubbish, right?"

"Yes," the heap replied as Torchic uttered, "Seriously? They named him rubbish with a T?"

"As it just so happens, we have replay footage of that event," the wasp stated as he had a staff member show it on a big-screen TV, everyone watching the events unfold.

Machop grinned and said, "Sweet, I get to see Uncle Gallade in his prime," as Garbodor scowled and grunted, "Shut up and watch!"

However, he was shocked to see Trubbish fly toward Gallade first with his arms ready to strike. Seeing this, the green and white boy turned toward him and sent his arm blade into his midsection, giving it a light cut as he cried out in pain and passed out.

"Wait, so not only did Dad attack first, but he only took in a light cut?" Garbodor uttered as Machop folded her arms and replied, "Sounds about right."

With that in mind, Garbodor took a deep breath and grinned, saying, "Well, I have to admit, in the end, you were the better fighter," before extending his hand.

Machop hesitated briefly, but after having felt him enough throughout the match, she no longer had a reason to fear his waste as she shook his hand. The crowd went wild as Yuki said, "No matter how many times I see it, it always touches my heart to see a bitter match end in friendship."

"Yep, those Machs have a knack for that sort of thing," Nori replied with a grin as Machop headed back toward the crowd only for Kelani to gasp, "You should wash up first!"

"Good boy," Eiko said with a grin as Machop sighed, "Well, I wouldn't want to make the seat dirty," before heading off to find an area to wash up.

"With that out of the way, the next match will be in five minutes," Beedrill stated as Chesnaught and Klefki had already left their seats, the wasp adding, "Looks like our next two fighters are already preparing themselves while all we can do is wait."

Most of the audience had no idea what to expect. So far, this was the first match not to feature anyone the Tokyo fans were familiar with. But even so, the matches so far had been very exciting and everyone expected the same from this one.


	48. Chapter 48

The crowd was restless as the next match was just around the corner. Machop returned to the bleachers to join her friends after washing all of Garbodor's waste off.

"I have to admit, Machop, you never cease to amaze me," Isamu said with a light grin, Lairon nodding and adding, "Yeah. If your father saw that amazing comeback, he would have been proud."

Vigoroth nodded before folding her hands behind her head, saying, "Seems like we can relax for good now," Rinko nodding and replying, "That's true. We have no one to cheer for this time."

"Still, I wouldn't get too comfortable just yet," Garchomp replied with a grin, "Don't forget, whoever wins this match is Machop's next opponent," Machop nodding and replying, "That's right. I wanna know exactly what these two are capable of."

Once the five minutes were up, Beedrill gave the signal as Nori exclaimed, "Alright, folks, it's finally time for the forth match! So far, this tournament has been really exciting, and I'm sure it'll be even more exciting from here on out!"

Yuki nodded and stated, "In the red corner is a true powerhouse representing Spain! With a shell so strong, it'll take a miracle to penetrate it, we bring to you an armadillo with a great deal of spirit, Chesnaught!"

The Spanish fans went wild as the armadillo in question approached the ring. Though he certainly did not look that much like one. His shell was more like a pale beige armour in the shape of a dome with two spikes coming out of the back and two more coming out of the shoulder areas. The majority of his body was also the same colour save for his arms, which were green on top and white on the bottom. Each hand had three claws as his feet contained the same number. On his belly was fluffy white fur, which also covered his face. He had a small pink nose with brown fur going up his snout along with a beige helmet atop his head.

As he entered the ring, he lifted his fists in the air and let out a loud battle cry, the Spanish fans cheering even louder. Needless to say, his opponent would need a lot of skill to beat him.

"And in the blue corner is an odd hero hailing from the Ukraine," Yuki stated, "Though he may not look like much, he must pack quite a punch to have made it this far. Introducing Klefki!"

The Ukrainian fans went wild as Klefki approached the ring. He was an odd specimen as his entire body was made up of nothing but keys with his midsection being a big key ring. However, the one key that stood out was his head, the only one with pitch black eyes and a keyhole representing his nose and mouth. On his forehead was a small pink oval as his shank was pointed upward.

The key collection smiled and waved to the crowd before leaping high into the air and spinning his body like a top. He then landed on the tops of his feet as the crowd cheered wildly, Chesnaught folding his arms and thinking, 'This'll be easy.'

Just before the match could begin, though, Klefki's smile had not yet left his face as he approached the armadillo and said, "Wow, I can't believe I'm actually facing you in the first round! I've caught all your matches on TV! I'm such a huge fan!"

Chesnaught blinked as he held out his arm, the armadillo smiling and saying, "Well, it's always nice to meet a fan, but don't think for a minute that I'll go easy on you."

Klefki's cute smile turned to a more sinister one as he sent the end of his right hand upward into Chesnaught's chin. Seeing this, Nori rang the bell and exclaimed, "And it would seem Klefki intends to start this match early by lowering his opponent's guard and taking full advantage of him!"

Chesnaught gritted his teeth as he received another punch to the same spot. Thus he backed up and rubbed it, thinking, 'Dammit! I didn't think that would hurt so much!'

"Dude, what the hell!?" Machop spat, "Is that legal!?" as Garchomp sighed, "Unfortunately, yes. See, human wrestlers do this sort of thing all the time, so striking your opponent before the match begins is allowed. It's rarely ever seen from heroes or even villains for that matter as we tend to have too much pride for that, but there are those who don't consider themselves above such tactics. The legendary Bouffalant is a great example of this."

Klefki laughed and exclaimed, "Wow, you are so gullible! Come on, I've never seen any of your matches before! You're nothing more than a stepping stone on my way to the top!" Chesnaught glaring at him.

"The next time you try something like that, hit the opponent harder, because I barely felt a thing!" the armadillo growled as he charged at Klefki. However, the key saw this coming as he dodged to the side and sent both hands into Chesnaught's skull.

However, this time the armadillo truly felt no pain as he smirked, saying, "By the way, this armoured exterior isn't just for show," as he swung his arm sideways and sent his fist hard into Klefki's side.

The key's eyes widened as he backed away from Chesnaught, the Spanish fans cheering as he thought, 'Damn, he's really tough. That one hit really hurt. I was hoping to save this for later, but I guess I'll need my best moves for this.'

With that in mind, he lifted up his right arm as Chesnaught grunted, "What are you doing now!?" only for Klefki to place the right hand key into his mouth, turning it while saying, "Secret power unlocked. Key Twister!"

With that, his keys all separated from one-another as all of them circled around the key ring, forming a tornado around him as Chesnaught's eyes widened. Before he knew it, Klefki closed in on him as he found himself pelted by the keys, some striking his face and leaving behind bruises.

"And Klefki hits Chesnaught with a barrage of strikes using, well, his keys," Yuki stated, "Though why he needed to place one in his mouth, I don't completely understand."

"I have a theory," Beedrill replied, "My guess is that this ability was locked away inside of him and that he needed his key in order to unlock it."

"Yes, the chairman is right," Klefki stated with a wicked smile, "Each one of my keys unlocks a different power," the attack coming to a halt as his body became whole once more.

"As you can see," he explained, "my body contains a total of twenty-five keys that only fit into my lock, not including my head, of course. That means I have twenty-five signature moves at my disposal and you've only seen one of them."

"Now I can see how someone so thin made it this far," Torchic uttered, "I can tell from looking at him that his body's not very strong, but if he has this many attacks at his disposal, Chesnaught might not stand a chance."

The armadillo refused to accept this as he growled, "Whatever! That move was nothing!" but just as he was ready to go in for an attack of his own, Klefki proceeded to place the left hand key into his mouth, turning it and saying, "Secret power unlocked. Keyzooka!"

"Que?" Chesnaught uttered as suddenly, all of the keys shifted to form what looked like a cannon with Klefki's head pointed directly at the armadillo. And before he could even respond, the head was launched from the other keys and flew hard into his forehead.

The Ukrainian fans went wild as that very spot was bleeding. Machop stared in stunned silence and uttered, "Okay, I'm not sure if I wanna face that Klefki guy. He's kinda scary."

'No, this isn't right!' Chesnaught thought as the head returned to its body, Klefki returning to normal, 'This guy was supposed to be easy pickings! His attacks aren't considerably strong, but with such strange abilities, he's hard to figure out!'

However, seeing Klefki back to his original form, there was no way the armadillo would allow him to try anything else. With that in mind, he proceeded to race toward him only for the key to leap over his head.

Chesnaught was prepared this time as he lifted his arms up, taking hold of Klefki's ankles as he gulped. And soon enough, his back was slammed hard against the canvas as Chesnaught growled, "Your fancy tricks mean nothing to me!"

He then proceeded to flip Klefki onto his belly before ramming his knee into the area just above his key ring. But just as he was about to do more, the key proceeded to place his right shoulder key into his mouth, turning it around and saying, "Secret power unlocked. Key String!"

"What's so scary about a string?" Chesnaught remarked as suddenly, all of the keys shifted to form a straight line.

After that, Klefki proceeded to wrap his entire body around Chesnaught, binding his arms in place as the Ukrainian fans were once again ecstatic. And it only got worse when the key flew toward the turnbuckle, pulling the armadillo with him and ramming his face into that very object.

Blood now dripped from Chesnaught's nostrils as Klefki released his hold and reverted back to normal. He then folded his arms and said, "You brag about your tough exterior, but you seem to have overlooked one simple fact. Your face is not protected. As long as I keep whaling on that spot, you'll go down in no time."

"Shut up!" Chesnaught retorted as he raced toward Klefki with his fist at the ready.

But as he swung his fist toward Klefki, he easily dodged to the right and inserted the key in the middle of his right arm into his mouth, turning it and saying, "Secret power unlocked. Key Hammer!"

"A hammer?" Chesnaught uttered as all of the keys shifted around to form the very shape described. And before he knew it, Klefki swung himself around thus slamming the flat end into the armadillo's face.

Chesnaught's eyes and mouth were wide open as he coughed up blood, falling on his back. But just as Klefki was about to strike him again, he frowned and said, "You know, I just realized there is a way around this."

The crowd stared as he tucked the lower portion of his head under his shell. Thus only his helmet was showing as Klefki hit that spot instead. It dealt some slight pain, but not nearly as much as the hit earlier.

The Spanish fans cheered as Klefki reverted to normal, Chesnaught seeing this as the perfect opportunity as he took hold of his wrists. The key's eyes widened as the armadillo planted his feet into his thighs, sending him flying into the air before rising to his feet and holding his arms up.

"ALRIGHT, THAT'S IT!" Chesnaught barked as Klefki descended, landing on his hands as he started to spin in a circle while growling, "You have been a huge pain in the ass, but there's no way you can get up from this!"

Machop stared in shock and uttered, "Damn, I was starting to think he couldn't protect himself like that," Lairon nodding and replying, "Yeah, I was wondering about that too."

"After taking in nothing but torment, Chesnaught is ready for revenge!" Yuki stated, "And it looks like he might just get it as he has Klefki caught in an airplane spin!"

After a few seconds, Klefki's eyes became swirls as he inserted his left shoulder key into his mouth. However, there was no way Chesnaught would allow him to use it as he prepared himself to hurl the key into the turnbuckle.

However, his eyes widened as it was too late. With the key already in Klefki's mouth, it turned as he uttered, "Secret power unlocked. Key Shackles."

And sure enough, the keys rearranged themselves to form four shackles, Chesnaught tucking his head into his shell again. However, this quickly proved to be pointless when the shackles bound themselves to his wrists and ankles, pulling on them thus causing his back to bend.

The armadillo poked his head out of his shell and let out a loud cry of agony, the Spanish fans even more concerned than before while the Ukrainian fans gave Klefki a round of applause. The key had a big smile on his face as he said, "If I can't hurt you externally, I may as well harm you internally, eh?"

Chesnaught was once again spellbound. No matter what he tried, it seemed Klefki had a response. However, the armadillo could not let his country down, at least not in the first round.

With that in mind, he gritted his teeth and used all his might to force his feet forward. This ultimately added to the pain being applied to his back as the crowd stared in stunned silence, but after roughly half-a-minute, he managed to place them firmly against the mat.

He then took a deep breath and let out a loud battle cry, falling backwards thus slamming Klefki's ring into the canvas. Ultimately, this was more than enough to cause him to release the armadillo as his body reverted to normal.

"Alright, that's it!" Chesnaught snapped, "There is no way in Hell I'm letting you use all twenty-five abilities!" before kneeling down and sending a hard punch into Klefki's face.

The Spanish fans went wild as Nori exclaimed, "And in a desperate attempt, Chesnaught risked more pain to his back to break himself free from that backbreaker! What really amazes me is how much that worked!"

"No kidding," Lairon said with his arms folded, "I can only imagine how much pain he added to his back with that tactic."

But just as Chesnaught was about to add to the pain even further, Klefki's eyes widened as he quickly rolled backwards, thus evading a second punch. However, he now had a look of fear on his face as he breathed heavily, Chesnaught smirking and asking, "You just suddenly realized how pointless it is to continue this match, didn't you?"

"NO!" the key retorted before lifting his right leg as high as it could go, "YOU HAVEN'T WON YET! I was hoping I wouldn't have to use this, but you give me no choice! You're gonna have to fall to the strongest move in my arsenal!"

With that, Klefki inserted the ankle key into his mouth. This caused it to turn as he exclaimed, "SECRET POWER UNLOCKED! KEY DRILL!"

The Ukrainian fans went wild as Klefki leapt backwards toward the ropes and leapt off them toward Chesnaught. While doing so, every key except for his head separated from his ring and spun around him like a twister. The momentum was enough to caused the rest of him to spin just like a drill, Chesnaught smirking and saying, "I don't even need to lower my head for this."

With that in mind, the armadillo pounded his fists together in front of Klefki's path, shouting, "SPIKY SHIELD!" as suddenly, the backs of both hands expanded and combined to form a perfectly round shield with spikes coming out of it.

Klefki's head soon made contact with it as he wound up taking in quite a bit of pain from touching up against the spikes. But even so, there was no way he would let this defeat him as he continued to spin.

It was not long until the crowd realized Klefki's efforts were pointless as Chesnaught did not even budge. It seemed not even the power of a drill was enough to plough through his shield and thus the spinning soon came to a halt as Klefki backed up with a look of terror on his face, his body twitching all over.

"I'll admit, you were a far tougher opponent than I expected," Chesnaught grunted with a smirk on his face, "But it's the end for you! Now I'll show you a real flying move!"

Klefki would have attempted to dodge, but at this point, he had lost all hope. After all, Chesnaught had now found a way to bypass each and every move at his disposal as he ran toward the ropes and leapt toward it, sending a two-legged kick into it.

He then bounced off of them as a bright light surrounded his body, the Spanish fans beyond excited now as the armadillo tucked his head into his body and folded his arms, shouting, "GIGA IMPACT!"

Klefki took Chesnaught's helmet to the gut as he coughed up a mix of oil and blood, both heading toward the ropes on the opposite side. And once he made contact with the material, the crowd gasped as his keys all separated from his ring and scattered about. With that out of the way, Chesnaught rose his head up out of his shell and righted himself back up before smacking the ring with his tail as it collapsed as well.

Machop stared wide-eyed as even her friends could not help but feel a touch scared knowing someone this strong was going to be her next opponent. Machop may have faced a lot of tough opponents, but after seeing how strong his armoured skin was combined with his spike shield, they were unsure of how a fighter like her would stand a chance. After all, the armadillo seemed to have a countermeasure for everything.

Yuki stared at this in horror and uttered, "How do I rule this?" Beedrill noticing Klefki was still breathing as he nodded and replied, "Don't worry, Klefki's still alive. He just needs to be put back together."

With that in mind, Nori realized there was no need for a ten count as she rang the bell and exclaimed, "And after a very intense match, Chesnaught is our winner as he advances to the next round!" the Spanish fans all cheering louder than ever before while the Ukrainian fans patted their chests to show their respect for Klefki. While he may have lost, he had come very close, and there was no way they would ignore that.

Chesnaught grinned and exclaimed, "YEAH, I'M NUMERO UNO!" before pointing at Machop and adding, "I'll be seeing you in the ring soon enough!"

Machop tensed up as while it certainly was normal for fighters to try and scare their opponents during tournaments, she could sense a hint of malice in his eyes. But why? Did he have some sort of vendetta against her like Garbodor?

Whatever the case, everyone knew they would have to leave the stadium as Beedrill said, "What an exciting pair of matches, but now it's time to change locations for the next one. And for this match, we'll be heading to the Kabuki theatre," pointing to it on a big map as everyone was ready to head off.

Jackalu, all the while, grinned and gave Clawitzer a supportive grin, saying, "I just know you're gonna kick so much ass," the shrimp nodding and replying, "Yeah, and you'd better do the same. I wanna face you in the next round."

Machop, however, was breathing heavily as Garchomp rested a hand on her shoulder and said, "Calm down. You won't have to worry about him until tomorrow. For now, let's just enjoy the rest of round one, okay?"

"Right," Machop replied as Kelani blinked and asked, "Are you scared of that Chesnaught guy?"

"No, of course not," the girl replied with a forced grin, "Don't worry. You saw my match earlier. I can handle anything."

While these words certainly worked on Kelani, the others could tell she was lying, and they could not blame her. While the girl had faced many powerful adversaries before, Chesnaught looked more threatening than even Marshal and Kingdra. Machop rarely ever showed fear and yet right now, she would certainly need their support to even so much as muster up the courage to enter the ring.


	49. Chapter 49

With the first half of round one out of the way, everyone was more than pumped for the second half. If anything, Machop and her friends were looking forward to seeing Clawitzer in action. While none of them knew her personally, the fact that she was Jackalu's partner was more than enough for them to support her.

When the group arrived at the Kabuki theatre, Machop blinked and asked, "So, how do you suppose this is gonna work? I mean, isn't a Kabuki stage a little small to support a wrestling ring?"

"What if the match is taking place on the stage?" Kelani asked as Isamu sighed, "Then the audience will be too close to the fight area, so if a hero flies off the stage, she'll likely land on someone."

Eiko blinked and replied, "Now that you mention it, that's a really good point."

Vigoroth was about to join into the conversation when she noticed Meloetta had been awfully quiet since the match between Chesnaught and Klefki. The sloth waved her hand in front of her face and asked, "Hey, you alright?"

"Oh, sorry," Meloetta uttered with a light chuckle, "I'm just a little shaken up after that last match."

"Really?" Rinko asked with her eyebrow raised, "You've seen plenty of brutal matches so far. What makes this one any different?"

"Well, until I heard Klefki breathing, I thought Chesnaught actually killed him," the green-haired girl whimpered, "How did he know Klefki would still be alive after being taken apart? I don't want any of you to die in this tournament, and to think, Machop's going to face him next."

Machop let out a sigh and patted her on the shoulder, replying, "Don't worry about it, alright? During a tournament, it's illegal for a fighter to kill his or her opponent. I'm sure Chesnaught knew full-well that Klefki could be repaired. That's what it's usually like for cyborgs."

"She's right," Lairon replied, "Something similar happened to Metang when he fought Lucario in the twenty-second Hero Olympics. Nearing the end of the match, Lucario blew up his hands, but he left the fragments big enough so they could be repaired. As a result, Metang was not only fixed up, but he even enhanced his hands to make them more useful in combat."

"Wow," Torchic replied, "so having them blown up led to a good result," the dinosaur nodding as Meloetta smiled lightly and replied, "Okay. That's good to hear."

With that said, the group entered as they approached the seats, all of them sitting down. They were shocked to see that a ring had, indeed, been set up on the stage. But the major difference was that this ring had been modified to look more rectangular and thinner, thus making it the perfect size.

Beedrill, Nori and Yuki had a desk set up next to the crowd while Beedrill stated, "Well, folks, the fifth match of round one is underway, and I'm certain this one's gonna be great. It was difficult, but we found a way to make a match in a Kabuki theatre work."

Jackalu was walking down the aisle when he noticed a free seat next to Machop's left side with Isamu seated on the right. As such, the dog wasted no time walking toward that spot and sitting next to her, saying, "Hey there, Machop."

The girl's cheeks flushed pink as she grinned and replied, "Hello to you, too," Eiko nudging Isamu with Kelani on her lap, her brother rolling his eyes.

"I hope you're all excited because in ten minutes, we're gonna start up the big event," Yuki said, "So if any of you need to use the bathroom now, this is your chance."

All the while, Clawitzer was getting herself ready as she thought, 'I can't believe I got Dragalge as my first opponent,' a light smile forming, 'We got along so well in school. I wonder how she's been or if she'd gotten any better.'

The shrimp looked back to the day she met Dragalge. It was during weight-lifting as Clawitzer impressed the class with her incredible physical strength. The one most impressed was the sea dragon herself.

She was an odd specimen to say the least as her body was curved to resemble the number three. The sides of her torso and slender legs were a dull shade of purple with vertical lines along them. She had a straightened snout and a red leaf-like crest atop her head with two brownish-green antennae attached to it.

One day, she walked up to Clawitzer and asked to spend time with her, and sure enough, the two became fast friends. As if having Jackalu, her childhood friend around was not enough, the shrimp was happy to have someone else to talk to.

Though something she and Dragalge did a lot was spar, working hard to improve their abilities. And while Dragalge would always lose, she was a very good sport about it.

Needless to say, Clawitzer was more than happy to have such a good friend as her first opponent. But even with her connection to the sea dragon, she still intended to win and face Jackalu in the second round. After all, a part of her had always wanted to face him in an official match.

Meanwhile, Dragalge herself had a big implied smile of her own while preparing, thinking, 'Oh, Clawitzer, it's great to finally face you in a real match. I've been waiting for this chance.'

Soon enough, the ten minutes were up as Yuki exclaimed, "Alright, everyone, it's finally time for the second half of round one to begin with what's sure to be an exciting match!"

Jackalu clapped and exclaimed, "Yeah! Go, Clawitzer!" everyone staring at him as he laughed nervously, Machop chuckling briefly. She had to admit that she found his enthusiasm strangely cute.

"In the red corner," Nori stated, "hailing from Australia is a sea dragon who makes up for her lack of muscle with her speed and skills! It is my pleasure to present Dragalge!"

The Australian fans cheered wildly as the sea dragon approached the ring in a Kabuki uniform only without the mask. Everyone stared as she struck a fighting pose and shifted her head in a circular motion, staring at the crowd as the cheers got even louder.

"Well, it seems Dragalge is treating this like an actual theatre debut," Beedrill stated, "I have to admit, I wasn't expecting anyone to actually do that, but it's certainly nice to see."

"That was pretty cool, actually," Machop said with a shrug as Lairon folded his arms and nodded, saying, "I'm just amazed that outfit fits her as well as it does."

Dragalge then removed the outfit and tossed it toward a woman on the Australian side as she squealed with delight. And with her entrance officially done, the sea dragon entered the ring and bowed to the audience.

"Well, she's certainly in good spirits," Jackalu said with a grin as Machop replied, "You sound like you know her."

"That's cause I do," Jackalu replied, "She and Clawitzer were really good friends in Hero School. She's really nice. I'd love to catch up with her when this is all over."

"And in the blue corner," Yuki stated, "coming to us from Switzerland is the daughter of Clauncher, that shockingly powerful crustacean who was actually a really good match for Lucario in the Ultimate World Team Tournament! With her mighty claw that's almost the size of her body, Clawitzer!"

The Swiss fans along with Jackalu were ecstatic as Clawitzer approached the ring. Rather than a Kabuki uniform, she was dressed like a swordsman with her arm over her shoulder and her big claw hanging behind her back, much like a big sword inside of its sheath.

Once she entered the ring, she flipped her claw over her shoulder much like a swordsman unsheathing his blade. She then pulled off the outfit and tossed it toward Jackalu who caught it and exclaimed, "Good job, Clawitzer! You're awesome sauce!"

Dragalge narrowed her eyelids at him briefly before turning toward Clawitzer with her eyes implying a smile, saying, "It's so nice to see you again, Clawitzer. Once this match is over, maybe we can catch up, eh?"

"Hell yeah," the shrimp replied as Vigoroth said, "Okay, the most I've seen of Clawitzer was when she joined us in the club, but is she normally this happy?"

"Around me, yes," Jackalu replied with a grin, "She just doesn't show it very often. Around most people, she tries to keep up a tough girl image, which is funny considering how laid-back her mum is."

With all said and done, the two sea creatures stood on their own sides of the ring as Yuki said, "Well, the combatants are set. Let us begin," before ringing the bell.

Dragalge wasted no time leaping toward Clawitzer with her right arm ready to strike her. However, the shrimp was more than ready for this as she held her big claw in front of her face.

But just as it seemed like her tactic would work, Dragalge swung her left arm sideways and sent a hard chop into the side of the shrimp's head. Her eyes widened as she dropped her guard, the sea dragon sending a back-handed slap to her face.

The Australian fans went wild as Clawitzer swung her claw at Dragalge only for the sea dragon to leap over it. The tip of her tail then glowed purple as she shouted, "VENOMOUS DRAGON TAIL!" swinging it hard into the shrimp's face.

"Oh my god," Jackalu said with his eyes wide open, Machop turning to him as he added, "She was never this good back on Hero Planet. Whenever she and Clawitzer sparred, she'd always lose rather easily. I have no doubt she's probably amazing against other opponents, but never against her."

"Maybe she learned how to counter her techniques overtime," Meloetta replied with a light smile as Jackalu nodded and replied, "That's a possibility, though I'm surprised it took her this long. Throughout those six month, they fought at least two-hundred times."

Whatever the case, it seemed Meloetta's theory may have been true as Clawitzer tried to strike back again only to receive a karate chop to the cheek. When Dragalge set up another one, the shrimp held up her big claw to protect herself only to receive a jab to the forehead.

The Australian fans continued to cheer as Dragalge sent a kick into Clawitzer's midsection, knocking her on her back as she groaned in pain. All the while, Nori stated, "Clawitzer just can't seem to get a break as she takes in a barrage of hits! Will she ever land a single hit during this match!?"

"Well, it's possible," Yuki replied, "Don't forget how one-sided Machop's match with Garbodor seemed for the first little while."

"Not to mention the twenty-second Olympics when Lucario fought Primape," Beedrill added, "Don't forget how much of a beating he took, and yet despite all the damage, he managed to defeat his opponent in two hits."

While Nori seemed to agree, something she and the others failed to mention was how Machop's disadvantage was brought about by her phobia of garbage. Lucario, meanwhile, had been weakened after having exhausted himself by doing one-handed pushups in a sauna prior to his match. To this day, no one knew exactly what had caused him to regain his strength other than the fact that it was some kind of special power he was able to tap into under the worst of circumstances.

Clawitzer, on the other hand, had no such drawbacks. She was in perfect health and was not the least bit afraid of her opponent. Whether or not she could make a comeback was anyone's guess.

Dragalge leapt up onto the turnbuckle and spread her arms out, saying, "You know, Clawitzer, you never really stood a chance. All those times we sparred have taught me all I needed to know to defeat you. In the end, my plan worked perfectly."

Jackalu's eyes widened at the sound of this as he barked, "COME ON, CLAWITZER, IT'S PAINFUL SEEING YOU THIS HELPLESS! YOU CAN DO THIS!" only for the shrimp to barely move as Dragalge leapt toward her, spinning like a hand propeller and shouting, "DRAGON CYCLONE!"

But just as it looked like Clawitzer would take in another blow, her eyes widened as she crossed her arms. It seemed she had done this just in time as Dragalge's fins rammed into her big claw, thus causing her quite a bit of pain as the collision sent her backwards into the air.

Seeing a perfect opportunity, Clawitzer took hold of her wrist with her big claw and lifted her up, flipping her upside-down. She then drove the sea dragon's head into the canvas and spat, "VICE GRIP SLAM!"

The Swiss fans went wild as Yuki exclaimed, "Wow! After taking in such a fierce beating, Clawitzer finally responds with a powerful move of her own!" as Nori smiled and said, "Well, you were right. It wasn't over for her."

Jackalu cheered and whistled for Clawitzer as Machop nodded and said, "For a second there, I was really starting to wonder if she would stand a chance. It's not like Olympic matches have never been one-sided before."

"Oh yeah," Torchic replied, "Just about everyone knows about that infamous match in the twenty-first Olympics when Graveler fought Venonat and beat him in five seconds," Meloetta's eyes and mouth wide with shock. She could not believe a tournament match could be so short, especially after all she had seen today.

Dragalge groaned in pain only for Clawitzer to raise her big claw into the air, shouting, "CRAB HAMMER!" sending it hard into the sea dragon's gut, causing blood to escape from her tiny mouth.

The cheers only got louder as Dragalge flipped herself backward, landing on her feet and breathing heavily with a look of both shock and irritation in her eyes. Clawitzer, meanwhile, was both angry and confused as she asked, "Before we continue, I need to know what you're talking about. What plan are you referring to?"

Dragalge narrowed her eyelids and retorted, "I guess it was only a matter of time. You thought I considered you a friend all these years, but you were dead wrong."

Clawitzer's eyes widened as Jackalu barked, "Not cool, Dragalge! I thought you were our friend, too!"

"Well, I would have loved to be your friend if you weren't already childhood friends with her!" Dragalge snapped as Vigoroth scratched the side of her head and enquired, "Wait, I'm confused. Is it really that weird that the kids of two former tag team partners are friends?"

"That's what pisses me off!" Dragalge retorted, "Clawitzer, everyone knows your mom because of her connection to Lucario! But did my mom ever receive such attention!? No! Hell, barely anyone even remembers her!"

Nori blinked as Beedrill asked, "Hey, Dragalge, is your mom, by any chance, Skrelp?" the sea dragon nodding as all went silent. Just as Dragalge had said, no one recognized that name in the slightest.

"There, you see that reaction?" Dragalge grunted, "Only the chairman actually knows my mother's name! Meanwhile, everyone knows who Clauncher is," many in the area nodding and talking amongst themselves only for the sea dragon to silence them by barking, "QUIET!"

"Wait, so you hate me because of my bloodline?" Clawitzer remarked as Dragalge snapped, "That is exactly what I'm saying! I've always hated you! The fact that your mom was the famous one, the one who fought alongside the world champion while my mother never even got a chance at the spotlight! Yeah, she was sent to protect an area that villains weren't even interested in!"

"But how is that my fault!?" Clawitzer retorted only for the sea dragon to ignore her and continue, "And the way you just kept flaunting your strength, constantly reminding me of how awesome you were! It sickened me! So I pretended to be your friend so I could learn all of your tricks, knowing that one day you would join the Hero Olympics where I would finally have my chance to upstage you!"

"Does anyone else detect serious bullshit from her plan?" Machop uttered as Torchic nodded and replied, "Sounds to me like she just made it up on the spot. I mean, really, she just knew Clawitzer would make it to the tournament along with her?"

"Maybe she really thinks highly of her after all," Meloetta replied with a shrug as Dragalge's eye twitched upon hearing that.

She knew the green-haired girl was merely guessing and yet just hearing that after everything she had explained got under her skin. With that in mind, she frowned and spat, "ALRIGHT, SO YOU KNOW MY SECRET! BIG DEAL! IT'S TOO LATE TO STOP ME FROM WINNING THIS MATCH!"

Dragalge proceeded to leap toward Clawitzer only for the shrimp to see right through her strategy. After having taken in more than enough hits, she already knew that the sea dragon was prepared for any of her usual countermeasures.

Thus when Dragalge was ready to strike, Clawitzer shifted to the right before leaping toward her with her big claw out. The sea dragon's eyes widened as the shrimp shouted, "CRABHAMMER HANDLE!"

Dragalge grunted in pain as the claw made contact with her neck, causing more blood to come from her mouth as she fell on her back. The Swiss fans went wild as her head went sideways, Nori starting the ten count while Yuki stated, "And using her ginormous claw, Clawitzer has managed to use a stronger clothesline than anyone else could have possibly pulled off."

Dragalge's body twitched as she tried desperately to rise to her feet, but after having taken in three moves from the giant claw, let alone such a fierce blow to her neck, she could barely move. All the while, her eyes shifted around as she thought, 'No! Come on! Get up, you stupid body!'

Jackalu bit his lower lip, hoping this would be it as Nori reached ten, Yuki ringing the bell and exclaiming, "And on that note, Clawitzer is our winner and advances to round two!" the Swiss crowd cheering even louder while the Australian fans were unsure how to feel. On one hand, they would have loved to have seen Dragalge win, but on the other hand, even they found her motives petty beyond compare.

"Serves her right!" Machop grumbled while folding her arms, "All this just because her mama wasn't your daddy's ally?" Jackalu nodding and replying, "I know, right? Talk about childish," before pulling out a dog biscuit and nibbling on it while saying, "Look, I'm a chipmunk."

But while the others seemed more than happy with these results, Meloetta let out a sigh and said, "There's still something that needs to be taken care of," Isamu nodding and adding, "Yeah, and I think Clawitzer knows exactly what that is."

The shrimp certainly did as she approached Dragalge and asked, "Hey, you okay?" the sea dragon spitting in her face and retorting, "I don't want your pity! You have no reason to give a shit about the likes of me!"

Clawitzer let out a sigh and said, "Look, I'm sorry that my mom was the one who teamed up with Lucario instead of yours. I think it's terrible that your mom never had a chance to prove her skills. Assigning her to an area that needed no protection? Why would Hero Planet's government do such a thing?"

Nori and Yuki stared awkwardly at Beedrill as he uttered, "Hey, don't look at me. That was way back when my dad was still in charge."

The shrimp then smiled and added, "I'm sorry if my achievements made you feel weak. I just wanted the teachers to know that I was good enough to protect Earth. That's it. I didn't know it made me seem like a showoff."

"Oh, stop it!" Dragalge sniffed with light tears in her eyes, "Don't apologize! I should be the one apologizing to you! I used you for my own selfish benefit! I don't deserve friends!" only for Clawitzer to shake her head and reply, "Well, I rather liked it when we did get along with each other. I'll be more than happy to give real friendship a chance."

Dragalge stared in stunned silence as she could not believe anyone would give her a second chance after that. Thus her eyes implied a big smile as she sniffed, "I never realized how awesome you were," as medics came in, loading her up onto a stretcher.

Needless to say, it seemed things had ultimately turned out for the best as Jackalu let down tears of his own, sobbing, "OH MY GOD, IT'S JUST SO BEAUTIFUL!" Isamu staring and thinking, 'Now I see it. That's why she likes him so much.'

"And that concludes our fifth match of the day," Beedrill stated, "Now if Clawitzer would exit the ring, we can get started on preparations for the next match."

"Oh, of course," the shrimp replied as she exited, her more calm demeanour returning as she joined Jackalu in the audience.

"Good job," the dog said with a grin as Clawitzer nodded her head and asked, "Shouldn't you be getting ready right now?"

His eyes widened as he spat, "Oh, right! I'm next!" before rising from his seat and sprinting toward an area to prepare himself.

While Fletchinder headed off to do the same, she looked a lot more focused on the match than he was, and not for the obvious reasons. For whatever reason, the fact that she was up against Jackalu in the first round made her really happy, as if she had a personal issue with him just like Garbodor and Dragalge did with their opponents. Whatever the case, Jackalu would certainly need to do his best if he was to win this match.


	50. Chapter 50

While Jackalu prepared for his match, Fletchinder was getting ready herself in a rehearsal room when suddenly, the door opened. The robin turned, her eyes wide with shock as standing before her was a falcon with orange, white and black feathers. Next to him was a middle-aged woman with long white hair.

"You came," she uttered with a big smile as the falcon, Talonflame, nodded and replied, "Well, of course we did. You know me. Ain't no way I'm gonna miss one of your performances, honey."

The woman, Tsuya, nodded and replied, "Your father and I are just so proud of you for making it to the tournament. As I've told you many times, this stick in the mud right here considered the Olympics beneath his mad skills. Isn't that right, darling?"

Talonflame rolled his eyes and sighed, "For god's sake, Tsuya, that was back before I became a hero," the woman chuckling before pinching his cheek.

"Well, I'm glad you could come," Fletchinder replied, Talonflame nodding and saying, "Yeah, yeah, but try to be less emotional, alright? No member of the Kokinos family is allowed to be this emotional in public."

Tsuya chuckled and remarked, "You mean like how you expressed how much Lucario's friendship with you meant before your match with Hoopa?" as the falcon's cheeks turned bright pink.

"Speaking of which, you know who my first opponent is, right?" Fletchinder asked as Talonflame nodded and replied, "Yeah, you'll wanna try your hardest against this guy. If he's anything like his father, he'll at least be on your level."

"Also, don't think that we'll think any less of you if you lose," Tsuya added as Talonflame nodded and said, "No shit. If she lost to Lucario's son, I could forgive her for that. Anyone else..."

The human woman laughed and playfully pushed on his shoulder as Fletchinder smiled and said, "Don't worry. I'll do my absolute best," before putting on a more serious expression and thinking, 'I'm not going to let our family's connection to his distract me from this match. I'll do my best to show which of us is superior.'

With the five minutes up, it was finally time for the match to begin as Nori exclaimed, "Alright, folks, it's finally time for quite possibly the most highly anticipated match of the day!"

"Really?" Machop uttered as Lairon nodded and replied, "I can see why. A lot of people were excited to see you fight, but keep in mind, Lucario was the Olympic champion back in the day. Seeing his son fight is certainly nothing to scoff at."

"In the red corner," Yuki stated, "representing England is the son of Lucario himself! Having pulled off quite the miracle during the big race, we can only expect even more amazing things from him in this match and hopefully others to come! With amazing speed and strength, Jackalu!"

The English fans were just about to cheer but were spellbound when the dog approached the ring wearing a blue women's yukata. Seeing this, Clawitzer face-palmed and groaned, "Oh, goddammit! He got the style wrong! The ones with flowers are for girls! Idiot!"

Jackalu's ear twitched as he blinked, his cheeks flushed pink. However, not wanting to go back and fix his entrance, he figured he may as well play along as he gave the audience a sweet smile, batting his eyelashes. They all continued to stare silently as he twirled his way toward the ring, Clawitzer slapping her claws against her face and shaking her head while even Machop was unsure what to think.

Isamu, on the other hand, grinned and thought, 'This is too perfect,' as Kelani uttered, "Jackalu's a boy, right?"

Once the dog entered the ring, he gave the crowd a wide, girlish smile while waving a single paw and giggling, "Oh, you all came to see little old me? I'm so flattered!"

After a few seconds, the area broke out into hysterics as one Japanese audience member exclaimed, "And I thought Machop's entrances were ridiculous! This is just priceless!" as Jackalu continued to act like this meant nothing.

"I gotta hand it to him," Torchic said, "He's taking this really well," as Machop nodded and added, "I actually kinda respect that. He knows he screwed up but he's not the least bit bothered by it."

Isamu's eyes widened as Eiko chuckled, "Yeah. I never would have thought a member of Lucario's family could be so cute," as Clawitzer's embarrassment was slowly starting to fade. She had to admit that the others had a point.

Once Jackalu removed the yukata and tossed it out of the ring, Yuki was still spellbound as Nori nodded and said, "And in the blue corner, representing Greece is a fiery bird and is actually the daughter of the mighty Talonflame."

The crowd gasped as the falcon smirked while sitting in the back row with Tsuya, the announcer adding, "Her father was a real force to be reckoned with and was the first villain to come really close to defeating Machoke, so it's a good thing he switched over to our side. We can only expect his daughter to be just as good, if not better. Presenting Fletchinder!"

The Greek fans went wild as a burst of fire flew toward the ring. Soon, the flames died down to reveal the robin performing a figure-eight in the air. She then slowly descended toward the ring with her arms folded, landing perfectly on her feet as the cheers were even louder.

However, when she faced Jackalu, she was surprised when the dog grinned and shook her hand, saying, "I have to say, it's a mighty pleasure to finally meet you. You know, your pop and mine were really good friends back in the day. Even teamed up to defeat the evil Absol, they did."

"Yes, thank you, I know all about that," the robin replied as she stared at his paw, not sure whether to appreciate the gesture or not. However, looking at the crowd and seeing that her father did not seem to disapprove of her shaking hands with a member of Lucario's family, she figured it was fine to act civil before the start of the match.

Afterwards, the two headed to separate sides of the ring as Yuki said, "Alright, looks like they're more than ready for this. Let's begin," ringing the bell."

Fletchinder wasted no time soaring toward Jackalu as the dog's eyes widened. He attempted to dodge only to receive a clothesline to his neck.

The Greek fans cheered as Fletchinder took full advantage of this, sending a kick into Jackalu's midsection. And it did not end there as she lit her talon on fire, shouting, "ROUNDHOUSE INFERNO!" sending a roundhouse into his cheek.

"And Fletchinder's off to an excellent start as Jackalu is unable to retaliate," Yuki stated as Nori added, "Though she shouldn't get too cocky. After all, Lucario and Riolu were both known for pulling off incredible comebacks under the worst of circumstances, much like the Mach family."

This seemed to be the case as the robin flew above Jackalu, aiming both of her talons toward his skull. But when she was close enough, the dog immediately threw his arms up with his wrists pointed toward her, the spikes piercing that very spot.

Fletchinder winced as Jackalu lifted her up before swinging his arms downward, sending her back into the canvas. However, as the daughter of Talonflame, she had been taught to treat pain like a minor inconvenience and thus she folded her wings inward and used them to push herself up.

Jackalu was too confused by this to do anything as Clawitzer spat, "HEY, YOUR MOVE WORKED! REMOVE THE SPIKES!" but Fletchinder refused to allow that as she placed her hands firmly against the mat and pushed herself up higher, lifting the dog up with her.

The Greek fans went wild as she flew high above the ring, Jackalu unable to pry his legs free. She then flipped her entire body one-hundred-and-eighty degrees before descending toward the mat, planting Jackalu's skull into the canvas.

Machop stared and uttered, "Damn, she treated his spikes like nothing," as Talonflame exclaimed, "YEAH, THAT'S MY BABY GIRL! NO PUNY SPIKES ARE ENOUGH TO TAKE YOU DOWN!"

"Honey, please, be a good sport," Tsuya remarked as the falcon groaned, "Yes, darling," while the woman patted him on the shoulder with a sweet smile.

Fletchinder pried her talons out of the spikes and smirked, folding her arms and saying, "Something you need to realize is that we Kokinos have a high tolerance to pain. My dad back in the day took crap from no one. He was the kind of opponent who could only fall to a really powerful move, and I've been building up my strength over the years to live up to that legacy."

"Is that so?" Jackalu asked with a grin as he slowly rose to his feet, "Well, then, I guess I'll really have to kick things up a notch if I'm going to win this match."

Meloetta smiled and said, "It's nice to see a match with no bad blood between the two fighters," as Vigoroth blinked and uttered, "You have a point there. So far, aside from Rinko and Venipede, these two seem to be the only heroes in this tournament with no bitterness between them."

Despite this fact, Jackalu and Fletchinder had only displayed a small sample of what they were capable of. As such, the robin flew toward the dog with her beak out as he quickly formed an aura around his paw, shouting, "FORCE PALM!" and sending it forward.

However, Fletchinder saw this coming just in time to fly to the side and send a hard kick into Jackalu's ribcage. He winced in pain, his eyes wide open and his teeth clenched as the robin sent her talons into his back, causing him to fall on his belly while the Greek crowd went wild.

"Jackalu's spiked powerbomb was impressive," Yuki said, "but so far, Fletchinder is really dominating this match, not just with her superior strength but also with pure skill and, like she pointed out, an impressive tolerance to pain. The world has seen Riolu and Lucario lose before, but never this easily or this early in the Olympics."

"I have to admit, the woman over there has a point," Fletchinder grunted with her arms folded, "So far, I'm a touch disappointed. I was expecting much more of a challenge."

"Oh, it's a challenge you want, is it?" Jackalu remarked with a smirk before using his paws to lift himself up, sending his feet backwards toward Fletchinder's face.

The robin easily backed away from this, but the dog saw this coming as he propelled himself off the mat. He then latched his ankles around her neck and spun his body along with hers thus planting the side of her head against the canvas.

The English fans went wild as Jackalu kept his grip on Fletchinder's neck and leapt high above the ring. Excitement rose among the crowd as once he was high enough, her wrapped his arms around her, his chest spike pressed slightly into her.

"It looks like he's setting up for that infamous family favourite!" Nori exclaimed as the dog exclaimed, "CANINE HUG SLAM!" descending toward the mat and as the robin's skull soon made contact.

The English crowd was even more excited now as Eiko squealed, "That was so cool!" Kelani applauding him as Clawitzer breathed a sigh of relief.

While Nori started the ten count, Talonflame was not the least bit worried as he smirked and said, "That won't be necessary," Tsuya nodding and adding, "Yeah, our little girl's way too strong to fall to that."

And it certainly seemed so as the second Nori reached three, the robin leapt back to her feet and smirked, saying, "Not bad," rubbing her cranium, "I have to admit, that actually kinda hurt."

But while most of the crowd had seen this coming, Jackalu was genuinely surprised as he uttered, "Wow, that didn't finish you off," before shaking his head and forcing a smirk, quipping, "Hah! I knew someone as worthy as you would rise from that!"

Fletchinder rolled her eyes and decided not to let his reaction get to her as she took to the sky and flew toward him with her beak pointed outward. Her body was then engulfed in flames as she yelled, "FLAME MISSILE!"

Jackalu tensed up as he quickly dodged to the side just in time. However, it seemed Fletchinder had expected this as she immediately halted her flight and sent a fiery roundhouse into his cheek like she had earlier. With the dog distracted, she saw this as a perfect opportunity as she backed up slightly and lit her arm on fire, flying toward him with that very part stretched outward.

"FLAME STEALTH BOMBER!" she exclaimed as her arm hit his neck hard thus causing him to cough up blood and fall on his back, the Greek fans going wild.

Jackalu was now on his back as Fletchinder wasted no time flying high above him with her talons cupped together. She then spread her arms out and started to spin like a top, her body once again covered in flames as Machop and Clawitzer spat, "HEY, JACKALU, GET UP!" before staring at one-another briefly.

"SPINNING TOP INFERNO!" Fletchinder shouted as she descended toward the dog. But just as it looked like he would take in a big hit, his eyes widened as he rolled to the side, Talonflame barking, "HEY, HONEY, STOP THE ATTACK!"

But it was too late as Fletchinder wound up hitting the canvas, her claws now stuck in the material as she blinked and groaned, "Oh no," Talonflame face-palming and sighing, "Dammit, I made that exact same mistake against Machoke," Tsuya patting him on the back.

Jackalu stared in shock as he breathed heavily only for Clawitzer to bark, "Hey, Jackalu, take advantage of this!" the dog nodding and replying, "Right!"

With that, he leapt toward the robin with his wrist outward and shouted, "ROYAL JAVELIN!" piercing her shoulders as she winced in pain, Talonflame blinking and uttering, "Funny, I had to help Lucario out for him to pull that off."

It did not end there as the dog proceeded to unleash an onslaught of palm punches with the aura surrounding his paws, Nori exclaiming, "And with Fletchinder unable to move, Jackalu is taking full advantage of this with a barrage of Force Palms! I've never seen an opponent take in so many of those at once!"

However, Fletchinder would not allow this to continue as she ignored the bleeding coming from her beak and held up her hands, blocking the incoming strikes. Jackalu's eyes widened as she closed her hands inward and bent his wrists back, saying, "That was foolish on my part, but it'll take more than this to defeat a Kokinos."

She then managed to pry her talons out of the mat as she sent a hard two-legged kick into Jackalu's gut. And it did not end there as she wrapped her arms around him, flying high into the air as the Greek fans went wild, Nori exclaiming, "Oh my god! I think she's about to use that infamous family finisher, the mighty Flare Blitz!"

"Oh my god!" Eiko squeaked, "I've seen this in action on the Internet! This is the move that almost crippled your mom!" turning to Rinko as she nodded and sighed, "Yeah, and from what I've heard, the only reason Machoke didn't fall victim to this is because Talonflame's afraid of the sun."

"He is?" Clawitzer remarked, "But why would a fire type be afraid of the sun?" Rinko shrugging and replying, "Mother refuses to tell me the reason. Apparently, that's the one detail Talonflame would rather keep secret."

"And yet he's perfectly fine with the world knowing he's afraid of the sun," Machop uttered as Venipede shrugged and said, "I got nothing."

"Well, I doubt Fletchinder has the same fear," Meloetta stated, "It looks like she might win. I just hope she doesn't hurt Jackalu too much."

And sure enough, Nori's prediction was correct as Fletchinder performed a U-turn in midair with her body covered in flames, shouting, "FLARE BLITZ!" the Greek fans once again going wild as Jackalu's eyes and mouth were wide with terror.

"HELLS YEAH!" Talonflame shouted with a big grin on his face, "SHOW HIM THE MIGHT OF THE KOKINOS FAMILY!" while Jackalu started to struggle.

And just as he was mere seconds from hitting the mat, he managed to pry his arms out of Fletchinder's hold, her eyes and beak wide with shock as this allowed his wrist spikes to scrape up against her flesh. The English fans stared in amazement as this ultimately caused her to release her hold, Jackalu turning around and piercing her shoulders with his foot spikes. As if that was not enough, he also used his wrist spikes to trap her ankles in place.

"OH MY GOD!" Machop squealed with a big grin, "THAT IS SO COOL!" Kelani clapping and squeaking, "Wow! Jackalu's awesome sauce!" as Eiko nodded with a big smile.

Needless to say, the crowd was ecstatic as Jackalu used all his might to flip Fletchinder so her back was facing the mat and exclaimed, "SPIKED LONDON STAMPEDE!" Clawitzer slapping her forehead and groaning, "Did he have to make it sound like the original move was invented in England?"

And sure enough, Fletchinder's back made contact with the canvas as she coughed up blood, Talonflame and Tsuya both staring in shock as Yuki exclaimed, "And in an amazing last-ditch effort to save himself, not only did Jackalu get free but even managed to pull off his own version of the Oklahoma Stampede! Though naming it after London does seem a bit pretentious," as Clawitzer sighed, "At least someone agrees."

Whatever the case, the robin seemed unable to get up as Nori started the ten count, the crowd in stunned silence as Talonflame smirked and said, "That was alright, but he didn't have much height when he used it. Just watch. In a couple of seconds, our little Fletchinder's gonna rise up and kick his sorry ass."

However, by the time Nori reached seven, Fletchinder was still not moving. It was not until the announcer hit eight seconds that she started to twitch, but that was all she could do as soon enough, the ten count was finished and the bell was rung.

With that, the English fans broke out into heavy cheers and applause as Nori exclaimed, "It was a close call, but ultimately, it would seem that Jackalu has, indeed, inherited his father's amazing spirit and skills thus earning him a spot in round two!"

Clawitzer breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Well, stupid attack name aside, at least he made it," a big smile on her face as Machop uttered, "You know you're fighting him in the next round, right?"

"Well, yeah, we both wanted to face each other at some point during this whole thing," the shrimp replied as Meloetta beamed and squeaked, "So that's a good thing! It'll be nice to watch another friendly match between friends."

Vigoroth was not even going to bring up how brutal this match had been despite it being between two heroes who had nothing against one-another. But either way, seeing a member of Lucario's family defeat one from Talonflame's was certainly a big deal as the cheers kept coming.

However, it seemed they would not last much longer as Jackalu started blowing kisses while barking, "YOU LOVE ME! YOU REALLY LOVE ME! OH, THIS MAKES ME SO HAPPY!"

And sure enough, the cheers came to a complete halt when he pulled out his dog biscuits and twirled them like batons while singing, "When you're feeling down and need to lose that frown, try a Biscrok, it's biscuit-licious!"

"Does he always celebrate victories like that?" Isamu groaned as Clawitzer nodded and sighed, "Unfortunately."

Both were shocked to see Machop chuckle as she said, "I don't know about you, but I find it kind of adorable. I thought it was weird at first, but it's kinda grown on me."

"Yeah, I think it's cool!" Kelani squealed with a grin as Isamu sighed, "You're a child. You think just about anything is cool," Eiko smacking him lightly on the shoulder.

However, Jackalu suddenly remembered something as he looked down at Fletchinder with a light smile, saying, "Hey, you put up an amazing fight," the robin slowly opening her eyes and grinning as she replied, "Yeah, you were really awesome too. I never could have seen such an amazing counter coming. I have to admit, if your dad was as awesome as you, I can see why mine considered him such a great ally."

However, Jackalu had dealt a little too much damage as medics came in, loading Fletchinder up on a stretcher. Seeing this, Talonflame and Tsuya rose up to join their daughter on her trip to the hospital, but not before smiling at Jackalu and giving him a thumb up.

The dog blinked, feeling very flattered before Talonflame snapped, "LISTEN UP, YOU LITTLE PUNK, NO ONE WHO BEATS MY BABY GIRL IS ALLOWED TO LOSE! YOU'D BETTER MAKE IT THROUGH THE REST OF THIS TOURNAMENT, YOU HEAR!?" as the dog twitched and groaned, "Yeah, no pressure."

Even the others could not help but stare in fear until Tsuya placed a firm grip on his beak and started dragging him, sighing, "For god's sake, you're being over-dramatic again."

"Well, folks, that concludes the Kabuki theatre matches," Beedrill stated, "In honour of the last two matches of the twenty-second Hero Olympics, we have decided to hold these last two at the same location, specifically the back yard of a local spa," pointing it out on his big map.

And sure enough, Slurpuff wasted no time rising from his seat and heading toward the exit as Torchic smirked and said, "Wish me the best, guys. I'm gonna teach that deceitful mutt what it's like to get your ass kicked."

Venipede nodded and replied, "Yeah, if anyone can beat him, you can," Rinko giving the chicken a supportive smile and adding, "That's right. Remind the fans who their real heroes are."

But would Torchic really be able to win this? After all, just from his performance during the race, many had concluded that he was much stronger than he looked. Hopefully now that many knew how tough he could really be, Torchic would be the first to defeat him.


	51. Chapter 51

With the first round almost over, it was time for everyone to head to a local spa where the last two matches were to take place. Upon arriving, though, Jackalu could not help but stare as he thought, 'Funny how they didn't decide to have me fight here. After all, this was where my pop defeated Primeape in the first round.'

The match in question was one of legends, mostly well-known for just how quickly Lucario had won, not to mention how he had taken a pretty horrible beating yet still ended up defeating his opponent with only two moves. It was considered by many to be one of the most impressive come-from-behind victories in Olympic history.

The others, meanwhile, decided to take advantage of the fact that they still had a little over forty minutes before the match began. After all, they were in a spa and Torchic was the only one in the group who had not yet fought. As such, while the chicken trained for her upcoming match, the others were currently getting massages while lying on their tummies.

"Wow, this is amazing," Machop sighed with a heavenly look on her face, "I can't believe I never tried this before," as Rinko nodded and replied, "Yeah. Mother brought me to one of these once. Apparently, the first time she ever had fun in her life was when Mom convinced her to join her in this very spa."

"I wonder if that's what sparked their feelings, eh?" Eiko squeaked before blinking and adding, "A little lower," as the man giving the massage nodded and did just as instructed.

"Well, Mother tells me she hadn't quite discovered her feelings at the time," Rinko explained, "but she figures this must have at least had an influence," as Meloetta smiled and replied, "That's so sweet."

She then blinked and said, "Times sure have changed. I never knew there were people out there attracted to the same sex," as Eiko nodded and replied, "Yeah. Though in some parts of the world, it's still controversial."

After a few more seconds, Rinko asked, "Hey, where's Vigoroth?" Meloetta replying, "She said she's not interested in spas. I have no idea what she's talking about. This is the most relaxed I've ever felt," a big smile on her face as she added, "You're doing an amazing job, Akihiro."

"Oh, um, thank you," the man giving her a massage replied with his cheeks light pink, the one massaging Machop laughing and saying, "Don't give him too much credit. He gets embarrassed easily."

"It's a shame Clawitzer couldn't join us, though," Machop sighed, "Apparently, she figures since none of these opponents will face her any time soon, if ever, that she'll spend some time in the hospital with Dragalge. Now that the two have officially become friends, she wants to have a genuinely positive chat with her."

"I'm kind of surprised," Eiko said, "I couldn't imagine forgiving someone that quickly if she pretended to be my friend just to take advantage of me. I'd give them at least a couple of days."

All the while, Kelani and the other males, save for Jackalu, were getting massages as well. Venipede implied a big smile and said, "I may have had plenty of time to rest up from my match, but this really helps."

Isamu nodded and sighed, "I just hope Machop is feeling relaxed after her match earlier," as Venipede turned toward him and said, "Alright, that's enough of this. Rinko detected this a while ago, and I can see it too. You have a thing for Machop, don't you?"

The women giving them their massages gasped as Kelani blinked and uttered, "Is it over already?" only for the woman massaging him to give him a sweet smile and reply, "Oh, no. Sorry about that."

Isamu took a deep breath and replied, "I guess I may as well tell someone. I don't know what it is, but yes, I really like Machop. In her own right, she's pretty cute and, well, she's amazing. Those miracles she pulls off in the ring, well, so far, I haven't seen a lot of other heroes who do it quite like she does. Jackalu came pretty close during his match, but..."

He then stopped himself and sighed, "Actually, no, Jackalu really did pull off the same kind of miracle she usually does, didn't he?"

Venipede stared in stunned silence for ten seconds before slowly nodding his head and replying, "Oh, I get it. You can sense it too."

"Sense what?" Kelani asked as Isamu blinked and uttered, "We'll tell you later," the doberman not sure what exactly they were talking about.

While he may have grown and learned to speak human in a very short period of time, he was still only a little over two months old and thus did not know what it meant to 'have a thing' for someone. All that came to his mind was that Isamu was hiding a birthday present for Machop. Though what any of the other stuff they were talking about had to do with such a thing was beyond his comprehension.

"What should I do?" Isamu asked, "I mean, you're actually in a relationship. Should I just sit back and let her make her own decision or should I let her know how I feel before it's too late?"

Venipede let out a sigh and replied, "You'd think I'd be an expert on this, but honestly, I don't know. I didn't have competition."

The woman giving Isamu a massage, however, suggested, "I think you should tell her before either one confesses to the other. That way, if she rejects you, you'll at least know it wasn't meant to be."

"So that won't make our friendship awkward?" the boy remarked as the woman replied, "Well, it might for a little while, but not for too long."

Isamu took a deep breath, nodded with a light smile and said, "Thanks for the tip."

All the while, Torchic felt more than ready as she practised kicking a stone in the back yard. She figured that as long as her feet were strong enough, Slurpuff would go down with ease.

The cake dog, on the other hand, was not in this area at all. He was currently taking a mud bath with a group of teenaged girls joining him, a big smile on his face as they all told him little things about themselves.

"Wow, that's really interesting," Slurpuff said after listening to one, "You know, I'm really glad you could all join me. It's always nice to make new friends," all of them gasping with hearts in their eyes, more than thrilled to hear him refer to them as friends.

Though it seemed one of the girls had some common sense as she asked, "Wait, Torchic is really strong. Shouldn't you prepare yourself for your match? You only have a little more than a half-hour."

Slurpuff gave her the biggest, most adorable smile he could muster and squealed, "It means so much that you care!" the girl's eyes turning into big beating hearts as she sighed, "What was I thinking? Training would make you look dirty, and we wouldn't want that."

But why did the cake dog not at least think about training? Was he too good for it or was he too clueless to realize just how helpful it could be? For all anyone knew, he might very well have been full of himself.

Whatever the case, the next half-hour went by quickly as the bleachers were filled, the heroes and their human friends finished with their relaxation. Lairon and Garchomp had come earlier to save the group front-row seats as Eiko stretched and squeaked, "I feel so refreshed!"

Kelani nodded and squealed, "Yeah! That lady was so nice!" as the pink-haired girl ruffled the fur atop his head, asking, "But not as nice as me, right?"

"Did you enjoy yourself?" Rinko asked Venipede as he replied, "Oh yeah, it was very nice. What about you?" the brunette nodding with a light smile.

Isamu, meanwhile, just wanted to make full use of this time and confess his feelings to Machop. He did not even care that he was in a place full of people. He just wanted to use the advice given to him by his masseuse right now.

But just as he was about to say something, Jackalu entered the seat behind Machop and said, "Thank god, I still managed to get a good seat," Venipede turning and asking, "Where have you been this whole time?"

"Doing pushups in the sauna," Jackalu replied with a grin, "My pop did that same thing before his match," Rinko remarking, "And from what I heard, it almost cost him the match. What if you overexerted yourself like he did?"

Vigoroth blinked and asked, "Wait, you're telling me the great Lucario did something that stupid? I always heard he was so dignified and serious about everything," Jackalu laughing nervously with a light sweat drop forming, saying, "You should see him during Christmas."

"Alright, folks, we're finally ready for the seventh match to begin!" Nori exclaimed, "You've all been waiting for this, so let's get things started!"

She then pointed toward one side and stated, "In the red corner, representing Turkey is an adorable little cream puff with a hard center! Already proving himself to be tougher and more worthy of being in this tournament than he looks, Slurpuff!"

The Turkish fans along with the vast majority of the crowd went wild when xylophone music played in the background. All the while, Slurpuff skipped happily toward the ring before attempting to leap into it. However, he wound up tripping on the edge and landed on his face, a smile on his face as he squeaked, "I fell down!"

The girls and even some boys cheered wildly in response to this, Eiko looking around and uttering, "What was so great about that? That's hardly fitting of a fight entrance, and besides, he messed it up. How is that any different from you doing it, Machop?"

Machop and Jackalu could not help but wonder the same thing along with many other heroes in the crowd. Even those who were not associated with Machop and her friends, such as Chesnaught and Delphox, folded their arms while looking extremely disappointed in the audience. How was it that they found something that might as well have been sentient dessert adorable as opposed to disturbing?

"And in the blue corner," Yuki stated, "representing America is a big Tokyo fan favourite, yet to lose a single match while in good health!"

Meloetta looked down in response to this as Vigoroth patted her on the shoulder, the announcer adding, "With the fierce, fiery passion that her family is well known for, I bring you Torchic!"

The crowd went wild, especially the American fans as Torchic sprinted toward the ring with a cowgirl hat on. She then leapt up and landed firmly against the canvas, using her right foot to pick up her hat and toss it out of the ring.

"Alright!" Machop squealed, "Kick some serious ass, Torchic!" Venipede and Rinko giving their own support as Kelani said, "Torchic's cool."

Seeing this, Isamu forgot about how annoyed he was by Jackalu's strange need to sit near Machop. Besides, Torchic would need his support as well and thus he decided to add to the cheers.

The chicken flashed her friends a smile before sporting a more serious look and thinking, 'Alright, ring that bell already so I can wipe that overly-cutesy look off his face,' Slurpuff looking like he did not even care, his tongue sticking out the side of his mouth.

"Alright, the combatants are set," Yuki stated, "Thus we shall begin the match!"

And with the bell rung, Torchic wasted no time racing toward Slurpuff as he knelt down and held his stubby arms out in a vain attempt to block her. However, since his arms were so tiny, it was easy for the chicken to leap at him and plant her feet into his face, sending him flying backwards into the ropes with a look of pain on his face.

But while Machop, her friends and the American fans were cheering, the rest of the crowd did not as Rinko stopped and uttered, "Why isn't anyone else cheering?"

This seemed to continue after Slurpuff bounced off the ropes, flying toward Torchic while looking helpless as could be. And to make things worse for him, the chicken waited for him to get close enough to send a roundhouse into his gut, knocking him on his back.

Torchic looked rather pleased with herself as she smirked, saying, "Not so nice when you're the one taking in pain, eh?" only to freeze when she felt something strike the back of her head.

She slowly turned and looked down, noticing the object in question was a tin can. And it was not long until she received another one to the forehead, barking, "WHO THE HELL THREW THAT!?"

"You have no right to snap at us!" one teenaged girl spat as another added, "Yeah! How dare you abuse Slurpuff like that, you fiend!? Do you even have a soul!?"

Torchic started to breathe heavily, looking around at the jeering crowd as Kelani blinked and whimpered, "I don't get it. She just did what everyone else has been doing so far. How was that any worse than what Chesnaught did to Klefki?"

A few audience members nearby glared at him as he trembled, Eiko holding him close and barking, "You're the ones who should be ashamed, scaring a small child like that, you monsters!" only for a can to be thrown at the back of her head.

"HEY, WHO ATTACKED MY SISTER!?" Isamu growled with a look of fury while Meloetta uttered, "I don't get it. Kelani's right. Did Torchic break a rule or something?"

Torchic was devastated to see even the American fans booing and jeering her, especially after they had been so supportive when she entered the ring. However, that thought soon came to a halt when suddenly, she felt something sticky pressed up against her sides, soon covering her entire midsection. And sure enough, when she looked down, she saw Slurpuff's hair wrapped around her as he smiled and said, "Don't worry, boys and girls. I'm perfectly fine."

The crowd, especially the Turkish crowd went wild as Slurpuff reeled the chicken in. And once he felt she was close enough, he leaned backward and planting her skull hard against the canvas.

"Things started off well for Torchic," Yuki stated, "but it would seem a very, very biased and unfairly judgemental crowd has caused her to lose her concentration."

Suddenly, the young woman felt a can hit the side of her head as she snapped, "HEY, WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE!? YOU KNOW I'M RIGHT!" only for Nori to laugh nervously and utter, "In their defence, we are supposed to be neutral."

However, Beedrill had his arms folded as, much like Eiko, Isamu and Jackalu, he was starting to get bad vibes from Slurpuff. Though currently, he had nothing to confirm his suspicions not to mention he had witnessed tactics like this from heroes before. But even so, something about Slurpuff and how calm and collective he looked after taking in two fierce kicks rubbed the wasp the wrong way.

Even so, it hardly looked like things would get better for Torchic any time soon as Slurpuff shifted his hair down to her legs, binding them in place. He then lifted her up and swung her around while shouting, "FROSTING LASSO!"

Torchic tried lighting her talons on fire, but all this did was thicken the frosting. As such, she was unable to escape as she found herself flung face-first into the turnbuckle.

The crowd continued to cheer as Vigoroth growled, "Dammit, that's what he used to defeat me."

"That hardly matters right now," Machop remarked, "Miss Yuki's right. If the crowd would just remember what this is all about, she wouldn't have taken in those hits."

Lairon nodded and sighed, "I can't fight this funny feeling that Slurpuff knew this would be the case. You heard him speak up against his fanbase's actions earlier, but he still took full advantage of the distraction. I wonder if he's fully aware that his cuteness influenced that outburst."

Whatever the case, Torchic would need to ignore the crowd and fight back soon as Slurpuff continued to bind her legs in place, flinging her high above the ring. He then stretched his hair up to his level and separated it into three segments, spreading the chicken's legs out before stretching up the middle of his hair and wrapping it around her neck.

Her eyes widened as the crowd continued to cheer, Jackalu barking, "COME ON, TORCHIC! TRY AND FIGHT IT!"

The chicken gritted her teeth and attempted to struggle free only to find herself unable to do so as Slurpuff leapt up to her level, saying, "Sorry, Miss Chicken Lady, but my hair is really sticky."

Once he was high enough for his hair to no longer look stretchy, he proceeded to lean backward as Torchic's skull was aimed toward the canvas. The two then descended toward that very spot as Slurpuff exclaimed, "FROSTING MALLET!" Torchic soon making contact.

The cheers got even louder as hearts formed in every teenaged girl's eyes, all of them chanting, "Slurpuff, Slurpuff, he's our boy! His victory's one we'll enjoy! Slurpuff, Slurpuff, he's so cool! Torchic, on the other hand, is a fool!"

Machop gritted her teeth and snapped, "FOR GOD'S SAKE, TORCHIC, IGNORE THEM!" the chicken blinking as Garchomp added, "She's right! We don't know why the crowd has just suddenly decided to turn on you, but it doesn't matter! Focus on winning the match!"

"You're right!" the chicken grunted as she slowly lifted herself so she was sitting upright. She then bent her knees, rising to her feet and breathing heavily as Slurpuff gave her a sweet smile and squeaked, "Yay! You're still up!"

"You won't be cheering much longer!" Torchic retorted as she lit her beak on fire and charged at him, shouting, "FIRE PECK!"

However, Slurpuff easily dodged this. But just as it looked like he would strike the chicken again, she smirked and said, "Psyche," before lighting her talon in fire and sending a sideways high kick into the cake dog, shouting, "BLAZE KICK JUNIOR!"

Slurpuff's eyes widened as he fell on his back, the crowd once again booing and jeering Torchic. However, the chicken refused to let this get to her a second time as she leapt high into the air, her talons still ablaze.

Once she was over Slurpuff, she barked, "BLAZE KICK ANVIL!" sending her heels hard into his gut as he coughed up what looked like strawberry jam.

Seeing this, one American fan blinked and uttered, "What the hell came over me?" another nodding and replying, "I don't know. We were all ready to see Torchic support us and then we just turned on her."

"Yeah, we should be giving her our full support!" a teenaged girl replied as she pumped her fist up and down, chanting, "Torchic! Torchic!"

Soon enough, all of the American fans joined in as the chicken turned to face them, a light smile forming on her face. A small tear rolled down her cheek as she sniffed, "They do support me," as Slurpuff slowly rose to his feet and for the first time, he had a neutral look on his face. He did not look particularly angry, but he did not look happy either.

"Well, this is truly amazing," Yuki stated, "Not only has Torchic made an amazing comeback, but it would seem her fans have finally remembered that they are, in fact, her fans."

However, that quickly changed as Slurpuff smiled cutely and squealed, "Wow, that was really good, Torchic! You're really strong!" hearts once again forming in the crowd's eyes as they all exclaimed, "HE'S SUCH A GOOD SPORT!"

As if that was not enough, the Americans were back on his side as she tensed up, Machop shouting, "Keep it up, Torchic!" the chicken nodding and thinking, 'At least now I know it's possible to get them back on my side.'

With that in mind, she proceeded to leap at Slurpuff with her talons pointed forward only for the cake dog to leap over her, planting his feet into her gut and knocking her on her back. The crowd went wild as the cake dog proceeded to form balls on the sides of his hair, saying, "You really need more than just pecks and kicks."

"Wait, what!?" Torchic remarked as Slurpuff kept his sweet smile and whispered, "What I'm saying is that you're super predictable, just like the rest of your loser family."

The reason he had whispered this was so the crowd could not hear him. After all, these very words made him come off as a poor sport, and there was no way he would dare tarnish his image. The reason he had said this to Torchic, on the other hand, was made clear when she started to tense up, unsure of how to respond to this. This may not have been the first time an opponent made fun of her for how she was born, but to bring her entire family into the mix was going too far.

And to make matters worse, she could not help but wonder if Slurpuff was correct. After all, while her mother, Blaziken, was known for her great strength and skills, her track record was a mixed bag with her having lost to more villains than she defeated.

Seeing as she had clearly taken this into consideration, Slurpuff's smile widened as he shouted, "FROSTING BALL GUN!" sending a barrage of punches with his hair into Torchic's face, blood coming from her beak.

The crowd cheered wildly as Nori exclaimed, "And Torchic is just taking in a world of punishment! As was said earlier, Slurpuff may look weak and pudgy, but he's a real force to be reckoned with!"

Even with all her best efforts, it seemed that Torchic could no longer fight back as a wicked look formed on Slurpuff's face briefly. However, he only kept it up for less than a second, thus no one noticed as Machop spat, "COME ON, TORCHIC, GET UP!"

"YEAH, YOU'VE TAKEN IN FAR WORSE THAN THIS BEFORE!" Vigoroth growled, "YOU TOOK IN MY BEST MOVES AND STILL WON!"

"And don't forget how you were able to rise after Gigalith crushed you," Meloetta added, Eiko shouting, "YEAH, YOU RULE, TORCHIC!"

Soon enough, all of the chicken's friends started to chant her name, Jackalu included. Hearing this, the American fans gasped before doing the same.

It seemed the sound of their cheers was working as Torchic gritted her teeth and growled, "You're wrong, Slurpuff. I may have simple fighting techniques, but I know how to make use of them," her beak catching flame as she threw her head toward the cake dog's gut, shouting, "FIRE PECK!"

But just as she was a millisecond away from striking him, Slurpuff folded his hair in front of his face. When Torchic's beak made contact with it, it seemed to douse the flames as the chicken was unable to move her body forward.

"This has been fun, but I'm getting tired," Slurpuff squeaked with a cute smile as the crowd was once again back on his side, save for the American fans. They were beyond concerned now as it truly seemed that Torchic could no longer do a thing.

"Fight it!" Rinko spat as Lairon sighed, "I hate to say it, but I don't think there's anything Torchic can do at this point."

Even Garchomp could not help but stare awkwardly at her husband as he sighed, "That Slurpuff is a lot more threatening than he looks. Not only is he tough, but he had her in the palm of his hand the minute he turned her fans against her. I get the feeling he planned all of that from the beginning."

With Torchic unable to fight back, Slurpuff proceeded to fling her high into the air before launching his cherry into her back, shouting, "CHERRY BOMB!"

This caused her to cough up more blood as the cake dog leapt high above her and wrapped his hair around himself, forming a ball made entirely out of the frosting. Upon seeing this, Yuki stated, "It seems Slurpuff intends to finish Torchic off in the form of cake pop. Speaking of which, I could really go for one of those," Beedrill and Nori giving her awkward stares.

"Wow, you just gave me a great idea for a name!" Slurpuff squealed before descending and planting himself into Torchic's belly, shouting, "CAKE POP CRUSHER!" the chicken's back making contact with the canvas as more blood escaped from her beak.

Slurpuff's fanbase cheered the loudest they had so far as the cake dog reverted to normal, a proud smile on his face as Yuki started the countdown. Seeing this, Jackalu and Machop's jaws were dropped as Meloetta whimpered. While this was not a fight with a villain, at least to the best of her knowledge, she still wanted to see Torchic advance to the second round.

Unfortunately, it seemed that would not be the case as Yuki reached ten, ringing the bell and exclaiming, "And Slurpuff has won and will advance to round two!" the majority of the crowd cheering, though unlike before, the American fans were not so happy about this.

Kelani growled until Eiko patted him on the head and said, "I'm not happy with this, either, but it's not like she lost to a villain. We just need to be good sports about this, alright?"

However, none of the others were thinking this as they watched Torchic being loaded up onto a stretcher. All the while, Slurpuff bounced up and down with a big, cheerful smile on his face as the crowd continued to marvel at him with hearts in their eyes. He had already proven before that he was more threatening than he looked and yet now, he looked like an even more dangerous opponent. Would anyone be able to beat him or would he ultimately win the tournament?


	52. Chapter 52

This was it. The final match would take place five minutes from now, but at this moment, Machop was tempted to leave the area so she could join Torchic on her trip to the hospital. As if that was not enough, now the very idea of facing Slurpuff terrified her.

Jackalu could see this as he rested a hand on her shoulder, smiling and saying, "Don't worry, alright? If the winner of this next match doesn't deal with that overrated cupcake, Clawitzer or I will do it. He may have some nice tricks up his sleeve, but it's nothing we can't handle."

"Right, of course," Machop replied with a light smile, "If anyone can defeat that guy, it's you," her cheeks light pink as Isamu thought, 'Alright, once we're out of this area and headed home, I'll ask her out. If she says no, I'll just accept it and move on. That's it.'

Once five minutes were up, Beedrill stated, "Alright, ladies and gentlemen, it's time for the final match of the day! We've had a very exciting first round, but let's see if this match will be just as exciting if not more!"

Nori nodded and said, "In the red corner, our second hero representing Germany is a fennec fox descended from a long line of pyro mages. With a strong spirit and a heart for combat, it is my pleasure to introduce Delphox!"

The German crowd went wild as the fox made her way toward the ring with a fireball circling her courtesy of the magic that had been brought up, and she was quite a lovely sight to behold. Her fur resembled a robe that was primarily dark-red with reddish-orange markings that resembled flames on her knees. She had a tuft of white fur on her torso flanked by yellow fur draping down her shoulders and also covering her head and tail. Protruding from each ear were three tufts of reddish-orange fur as that on her arms was red and resembled sleeves. Her hands and feet were dark-grey with three clawed fingers on each.

As she approached the ring, she proceeded to leap up into the air, shooting fire from her heels thus allowing her to fly higher into the air. She then performed a vertical flip before landing perfectly on her feet, the crowd cheering even louder.

"Wow, she's beautiful," Meloetta uttered with her eyes wide open as Vigoroth shrugged and replied, "Well, she is a fox. That kind of comes with the territory."

"And in the blue corner," Yuki stated, "coming to us from Nicaragua is one who may look weak and skinny but can actually pack quite a punch, mostly with the help of her moon rock-like shell! As such, it is my pleasure to introduce Shuckle!"

The Nicaraguan fans cheered wildly as the noodle-like turtle made her way over to the ring. However, with the way she was moving, one would swear she came out of a cartoon from the thirties as it looked like she was struggling just to stay up, her body leaning in various different directions at random. The only thing that remained consistent was how her legs were moving.

Machop stared in stunned silence and uttered, "Really? She qualified for the tournament? She's harder to take seriously than Slurpuff," as Lairon replied, "Exactly. We all thought Slurpuff was going to be weak, but he proved us wrong. We can't make the same mistake about this one either."

Soon enough, the turtle made her way over to the ring and attempted to climb into it. However, some members of the crowd resisted the urge to laugh as found herself struggling to get up, her legs waving around like actual noodles dangling in the breeze. Seeing as her arms were not helping things, she ultimately lifted her head up and lightly bit the bottom rope, using that to pull herself up.

"Oh my god," Rinko snickered, "You have a point, Mister Lairon, sir, but come on, this is hard to take seriously," as Venipede was resisting the urge to laugh.

"Come on, guys, stop that," Meloetta whimpered, "She can't help the way she was born," as Vigoroth sighed, "I hate to say it, but she's right. Besides, for all we know, she's probably really hardcore."

With all said and done, Shuckle sauntered over to Delphox and held out her arm, saying, "Hey there. It's nice to meetcha," the fox giving her a light smile and shaking her hand, replying, "Likewise. Here's to a good match."

The crowd cheered in response to this as Yuki said, "You know, with all these bitter, brutal matches, it's kind of refreshing to see good sportsmanship. After all, one would expect heroes to be like this more often," Nori nodding and sighing, "True, but let's face it, all sporting events are super competitive."

Once the handshake ended, both fighters walked to their own sides of the ring as Yuki said, "Well, folks, the combatants are set. Thus we can begin the match."

Once the bell was rung, Delphox lit her hands on fire only for Shuckle to tuck her legs into her shell. Most of the crowd was confused by this until she retracted her feet, launching herself toward her opponent. The fox sent her palm forward only for the turtle to tuck her head and legs into her shell, only leaving her arms out and spinning while shouting, "SHELLED KUNAI!"

Delphox's eyes widened as she took multiple strikes to her cheek, the Nicaraguan crowd cheering wildly as Shuckle emerged from her shell, sending her head hard into the fox's chin. And it did not end there was she sent a barrage of rapid punches and kicks into her midsection, Machop and her friends staring in stunned silence.

"You know, I really should have seen that coming," the girl uttered as Garchomp nodded and replied, "Yeah, that stretchy exterior of hers makes it really easy for her to pull off moves like that. It already looks like she could very well win this match."

Delphox narrowed her eyelids before lighting her hands on fire and sending two karate chops toward Shuckle's arms. However, the turtle was more than ready for this as she tucked them into her shell, Delphox missing as her eyes widened. And while she was distracted, the turtle's arms emerged and bound her wrists in place.

Shuckle then proceeded to tuck her legs into her shell before swinging it back, shouting, "SHELL SLINGSHOT!" reeling it inward thus ramming it into Delphox's gut.

"Delphox's magic may be tough, but against an opponent like Shuckle, it's practically useless," Yuki stated, "Not only does Shuckle's slender, stretchy build make her very fast and flexible, but that hard shell of hers makes it easy for her to protect her body from harm."

Delphox backed up and took a few breaths before saying, "Alright, you've proven yourself a challenge, but now it's my turn," before conjuring up a fireball with her fingertip and sending it toward the turtle.

Seeing this, Shuckle tucked her entire body into her shell as the flame ran into it. And sure enough, it had no effect as the turtle allowed one arm to emerge from a hole, placing it against the mat and using it to lift herself up. She then tilted her shell sideways and leaned her arm back, flinging herself toward Delphox while allowing her shell to spin.

The Nicaraguan fans continued to cheer as Delphox took another blow to her gut, this time coughing up blood as Vigoroth groaned, "My god, this is just painful. I hate to say it, but I think Delphox would be better off giving up."

It seemed this could very well have been the better option as Shuckle emerged and stood atop a single leg while balancing the rest of her body like a spinning plate, saying, "I have to admit, when I saw that you were my first opponent, I was beyond happy, and this is the reason. See, the ability to use magic is rare among our kind. You're one of the few heroes out there with the ability to use long-ranged attacks, and while that sort of thing may be impressive against your common villain or, well, just about any other hero, it's useless against someone like me."

"What!?" Delphox retorted as the turtle snickered and replied, "Think about it. Your puny little flames can't penetrate my shell, and it's not like you can possibly hit my body as I'm far too flexible. But it's okay if you wanna forfeit. I won't judge."

Hearing these very words caused the often calm and collected fox to feel a great deal of rage, her eyes narrowed as her tail burst into flame. The German fans stared in stunned silence as Shuckle smirked and thought, 'Perfect. This just got easier.'

With that, the fox leapt into the air and pointed her feet backwards, crossing her arms as flames surrounded them. She then shot fire from her heels like she had earlier and exclaimed, "FOX FIRE ROCKET!" blasting toward Shuckle as she once against started to tuck herself into her shell.

However, it seemed Delphox was moving even more quickly than the turtle had expected as she was unable to hide her head in time to avoid a strike to her neck. The crowd went wild as she coughed up blood, flying backwards into the ropes and bouncing off. And it did not end there as Delphox sent a palm punch into her face, causing her to fall on her back.

"After taking in quite the assault, Delphox finally manages to work around Shuckle's ironclad defence," Nori stated, "When moving at her normal speed, she was unable to strike the turtle, but now that she's moving faster, she's managed to land two very impressive hits."

"Not only that, but I think Shuckle may have taken in more pain from those two hits than Delphox has from all of her attacks," Beedrill added, "While Delphox may be closer and, well, lacking a shell of her own, she's also bigger and is thus able to take in more pain. Meanwhile, Shuckle's shell is nothing short of a blessing due to her body being so thin, meaning even a light karate chop would feel like a two-handed punch."

"YEAH, THAT'S MORE LIKE IT!" Rinko exclaimed as the others stared at her, the brunette shrugging and uttering, "Hey, she's the only representative of my country left. May as well give her some support, right?"

And it truly seemed that these two hits had been enough to end this match as Nori had already started the ten count, currently up to three. Needless to say, Delphox was not to be taken lightly.

"Look at you," Delphox scoffed with her arms folded, "You act all tough when in reality, you're nothing more than a coward who needs the protection of her precious shell to keep her safe. It was only a matter of time until someone found a way around your flexibility and defence. I'm just amazed that I had to be the first."

However, once Nori counted up to nine, Shuckle quickly recovered and propelled herself back to her feet, breathing heavily as the Nicaraguan fans cheered wildly. The turtle wiped a bead of sweat off her forehead, smirking and saying, "I have to say, I'm actually impressed. But even so, you should have hit me harder because there's no way in Hell I'm letting you land another hit."

With that, the turtle leaned her legs back before propelling her shell forward and tucking her entire body into it. Delphox knew trying to counter would be pointless and thus attempted to dodge. Unfortunately, it seemed she was too slow as she took a hit to her side.

Shuckle then whipped out the arm and leg closest to Delphox and latched onto her arm, pulling hard enough to force her downward as her chin hit the canvas. And to add insult to injury, Shuckle proceeded to leap high above her before once again tucking herself into her shell, falling toward the fox and shouting, "SHELL METEOR!"

And sure enough, Delphox was unable to react in time as she took the blow to her back, coughing up blood with her eyes and mouth wide with shock and agony. The Nicaraguan fans cheered even louder as Yuki stated, "Well, Shuckle is certainly putting her money where her mouth is. Now that she's taken in damage, she's doing everything to make sure Delphox can't hit her again."

Shuckle leapt away from Delphox and poked her head out of her shell, noticing the fox slowly pushing herself up as she smiled wickedly and said, "I'm impressed that you're still able to move, but this next one will finish you off for good."

With that, the turtle pushed herself into the air and toward the ropes, pressing up against them. And after a few seconds, she bounced off of the springy material toward the fox while shouting, "SHELLAPULT!"

Unfortunately for the turtle, Delphox was not going to allow this one to hit her. As such, she took a deep breath as fire surrounded her hands once more. Then then proceeded to wave them in a circular pattern, forming a ring of fire and shouting, "MYSTICAL FIRE!"

Each side of the ring separated thus forming two streams. The fire then flew toward Shuckle as it soon formed into five small streams, each one entering one of the turtle's holes. And sure enough, this managed to halt her attack just as she was a mere millisecond away from hitting Delphox, her arms, legs and head emerging as she cried out in agonizing pain.

The German fans went wild as Delphox took full advantage of this, spreading out her arms next to Shuckle's neck and sending both hands into it, shouting, "DOUBLE FIRE CHOP!"

This was more than enough as Shuckle coughed up blood, her eyes and mouth wide open as she collapsed. All five exposed parts were spread out as Nori started the countdown yet again, Yuki exclaiming, "And just as it seemed like Shuckle still had this match in the bag, Delphox takes full advantage of the openings on her shell, setting her up for further pain to her sensitive neck!"

The German fans went wild as Jackalu folded his arms behind his head, saying, "You know, I'm kinda surprised she didn't think to do that sooner," Lairon nodding and replying, "Yeah, it's weird when they don't think of the most obvious method from the get-go, isn't it?"

Whatever the case, Shuckle had barely gotten up in time to avoid the ten count before, so there was no doubt in anyone's mind that she would not rise from this. And just as expected, Nori reached ten and rang the bell, exclaiming, "And the victory goes to Delphox, therefor she will be the last fighter to advance to round two!"

The cheers from the German side and even a few Tokyo viewers grew as the Nicaraguan fans bowed their heads in respect. After all, Shuckle had done the best she could and that was all they could ask.

Once she had been taken out of the ring on a stretcher, Delphox turned toward Slurpuff in the crowd who had a dopey smile on his face while bobbing his body up and down. Seeing this, she had a cross look on her face as she thought, 'Yeah, keep up that stupid act of yours. Keep getting the crowd on your side. You're not going to get the better of me. You'll soon realize what it feels like to lose in a fair fight.'

"That concludes round one," Beedrill stated, "Round two will be in three days, thus I would recommend that those of you still competing use that time to prepare yourselves. After all, the matches can only get harder from here, right?"

With all said and done, the audience members got up to leave as Eiko asked, "So, Kelani, did you have fun?" the doberman nodding and saying, "Well, some of the stuff was upsetting, but I liked it. I can't wait to see Machop and Venipede win their next matches!"

"And me?" Jackalu asked with a grin as Kelani replied, "Of course!" the dog's eyes sparkling as he squealed, "I like this kid!"

And soon enough, everyone was ready to head home as Lairon said, "Well, this has been a long day. I'm gonna make you a nice, big dinner, Machop," the girl grinning with excitement as Meloetta said, "I'll help."

But just as the girl was about to join the others in Garchomp's van, Isamu tapped her on the shoulder and said, "Hey, Eiko and I are gonna head home in a bit too, but I want to talk to you about something first. Something private," his cheeks flushed pink.

Machop shrugged and nodded before calling, "Hey, can you guys wait up for us!?" Garchomp nodding and replying, "Take your time. We're in no rush, right?" as Lairon bit his lower lip and uttered, "Okay," really wanting to start on dinner sooner than later.

With that, the two walked a small distance from the others until they could no longer see them. As such, Isamu took a deep breath and said, "Alright, Machop, I have something I need to confess. It's not easy for someone like me to say this, but I figure if I hold this off any longer-"

"Alright, no need to beat around the bush," Machop remarked with a grin, "Just let it all out, okay?"

"Alright," Isamu replied before calming himself down, adding, "Machop, as you already know, I didn't trust you when we first met," the girl sighing, "I try not to think about it, but go on."

The boy felt awkward bringing this up before adding, "Anyway, ever since you saved me from Crawdaunt, I've found you absolutely amazing. You're fun, you're actually pretty cute for a lizard-like thing and, well, whenever you fight, it's like watching magic. You just pull off all these amazing miracles that not even your friends have ever truly pulled off."

Machop's eyes widened as she bit her lower lip. Deep down, she had a feeling of where this was headed and she was not sure how to feel, but even so, she knew how important this was and thus allowed Isamu to continue.

"Anyway, I really, really like you," Isamu said, "So I was wondering if you'd like to go out sometime, you know, on a date."

While the boy looked embarrassed after having said all of this, he also felt strangely content like he had just removed a heavy burden from his life. Machop, on the other hand, still had no clue what to think of this.

However, she had to be honest and thus she gave him a light smile and replied, "Look, Isamu, I like you, too, but not in that way. In fact, to be perfectly honest, I actually have feelings for Jackalu. It's strange, but ever since that time he almost sacrificed a spot in the Olympics to help me, well, he makes my heart race."

Even though Isamu knew this, it still came off as devastating, especially after he had spent so long mustering up the courage to say this. He had even mentally prepared himself for failure and yet he still had trouble taking this all in.

However, his hope lifted when Machop uttered, "In all honesty, I'm not even really sure if I love Jackalu or if a relationship between the two of us could even work. But even so, I see you as more of a big brother than, well, a soul mate."

Isamu took a deep breath and replied, "Okay. I understand," Machop groaning, "I'm so sorry," before holding her arm and biting her lower lip.

The two remained standing awkwardly for a while before turning and walking off toward their families. Needless to say, the whole day had been mostly positive with the results of the matches, but this one moment had made it the most awkward day of Isamu and Machop's lives. To make matters worse, Isamu was now conflicted about whether he really should have confessed or not.

Either way, Machop had lots of training ahead of her and would have been much better off focusing on that. Whoever the girl had a crush on would have to wait as Chesnaught would certainly be a tough adversary.


	53. Chapter 53

The day-and-a-half following the end of round one went by quickly. During this time, Venipede had been training with Rinko for the upcoming match with Gallador. After all, just because the brunette was no longer competing did not mean she would stop helping her boyfriend ready himself. If anything, this gave her more of a reason to do so.

Torchic, meanwhile, was still in the hospital as Slurpuff had dealt a lot more damage to her than expected. And every now and then, Vigoroth and Meloetta would stop by for a visit, but since the chicken was out cold, they could not have a conversation with her.

With less than a day to go before the next round, Machop was hard at work preparing herself. She had done all the standard training exercises and was currently working on ways to counter Chesnaught's Giga Impact as that was so far the only finisher he had shown off.

Garchomp flew toward Machop with her body covered in a bright orange flame, shouting, "DRAGON RAGE!" Machop was just about to dodge when suddenly, she tensed up and gasped, attempting to block the move with her hands.

Unfortunately, Garchomp's attack was far too strong and thus she wound up forced backwards into the fence. Lairon rose an eyebrow and sighed, "Machop, this is the tenth time you've messed this up. Seriously, compared to those other finishing moves you've prepared yourself for, this is probably the easiest to avoid."

"I know," Machop uttered with a sigh, "And in all honesty, I know exactly how to avoid this one."

"Really," Lairon replied with his arms folded, "Alright, how do you do it?" the girl explaining, "I wait for him to get close enough and then jump to the side, thus causing him to make contact with whatever's behind me instead."

Garchomp shrugged her shoulders as Lairon grinned and replied, "Guess you do know after all. Sorry for doubting you. It just seemed to me like you weren't really prepared for this."

Machop took a deep breath and replied, "Well, I'm not really sure if I am. It's complicated," as the dinosaur blinked and asked, "Do you wanna talk about it?"

The girl bit her lower lip as Garchomp gave her a look of concern. As much as she would have rather kept this private, she could not hide such a thing from the two who helped shape her into the hero she was now.

"Well, remember how after the final match the other day, Isamu and I had a conversation before heading home?" Machop asked as Lairon nodded and replied, "Oh, yes. I didn't bother asking because I thought it didn't matter, but what did he talk to you about?"

"He told me that he really likes me," Machop uttered as Garchomp gasped, a big grin forming on her face as she nudged her husband. However, her positive attitude left when Machop sighed, "As flattering as it is, I'm just not sure if I share his feelings or not. In fact, I actually kinda have a thing for Jackalu."

Garchomp and Lairon stared in stunned silence as the dinosaur shrugged and replied, "Huh. I didn't think someone like that would be your type."

Garchomp had no clue what to say to this. After all, she and Lairon had never had more than one person fall for them, so they could not fully grasp the situation.

"Did you tell Isamu about your feelings for Jackalu?" Garchomp enquired as the girl nodded and replied, "Yeah, and he said he understood, but I don't know. He hasn't tried to make contact with me since then, so I'm not sure if he's really okay with it."

Lairon folded his arms and sighed, "Well, I can see how this would be a problem. If you continue to reject him, you'll feel like you're breaking his heart, but if you decide to go out with him, it could potentially shoot any chance you have with Jackalu, right?"

Machop nodded with a sigh as the dinosaur suggested, "Look, try going for a walk and clearing your head. If you spend too much time dwelling on this, it'll definitely throw you off during your match with Chesnaught and we can't have that."

The girl ultimately decided he was right as she took a deep breath and headed out of the back yard. And once inside the house, she walked toward the exit only to stop when she noticed Eri looking up at her with her eyes wide and her tail swishing back and forth.

Machop gave the collie a sweet smile and a gentle pat on the head, saying, "You guard the place while I'm gone, alright?" before heading out the door.

During this time, Isamu was in his room, watching Machop's matches on his computer and sighing. At that moment, Hana knocked on his already-open door as he looked up and asked, "Yeah?"

"Hey, son, I was just wondering how you're feeling right now," the woman explained with a light smile as he replied, "I'm fine, I guess," before staring at the screen again only for the woman to tense up, wondering what to do.

"Don't stress yourself, honey," Noboru said as he entered the area, "I'll deal with this."

Hana breathed a sigh of relief and headed off to do her own thing as the man walked over to Isamu, patting him on the shoulder and asking, "Hey, son, wanna go for a walk?"

Meanwhile, Machop was walking along when she noticed Gallador having a stroll of his own. Suddenly, all of her troubles seemed to vanish from her mind as she gave him a wide smile and waved, squealing, "Hi, Gallador!"

The white boy turned with a grin and approached her, saying, "Hey there, Machop. Feeling ready for your match tomorrow?"

"Come on, think about who you're talking to," she remarked with a smirk before letting out a sigh and uttering, "Actually, I'm not really sure if I'm ready."

Gallador was about to ask why she was not training if that was the case, but he soon realized the match was not the issue. As such, he shifted his head toward a nearby bench as Machop nodded and walked over to it, taking a seat. And it was not long until the white boy joined her.

"So, what's on your mind?" he asked as Machop sighed, "Well, you know that human I hang out with, Isamu?" Gallador blinking as she added, "He's the guy with the scar on his cheek."

"Oh yeah," Gallador replied with a nod of his head, "What about him?"

"Well, he told me recently that he has feelings for me," Machop uttered as Gallador stared in stunned silence. Back in the day, Machop had never been interested in romance, so if anything, he figured that might have been the issue.

"Look, Machop, if you really like him, maybe it's high time you finally decide to give the dating scene a chance," the white boy suggested as Machop sighed, "That's not it. The problem is that, well, I really do like Isamu, but I have actual feelings for Jackalu."

"Wait, what?" Gallador remarked as he gave her a blank stare, the girl adding, "But even then, I'm confused about whether I love him or it's just infatuation. I've never felt this way before, so-"

"Stop right there," Gallador said before taking a deep breath, "You're telling me that weirdo who breaks out into song when he wins is your type?" as Machop sighed, "I know it's weird, but, well, he's so sweet. He almost sacrificed his spot in the tournament for me."

Gallador let out a sigh and said, "Well, I'm not really sure about this. On one hand, you've known this Isamu guy a lot longer. Do you enjoy being around him?" Machop nodding as the white boy added, "But still, the odds of Jackalu sticking around long enough for you to confess your feelings for him are pretty slim."

Machop nodded again as Gallador sighed, "Look, I'm gonna give you the most obvious advice you could get, because this is the correct advice. Do what your heart tells you, what you think is right."

Machop took a deep breath and rose from the bench, saying, "You may be right. Thanks for the advice," the two giving each other a quick goodbye and heading off their own ways. Even so, Machop still did not completely feel at ease as she was not completely sure what her heart wanted.

Meanwhile, Isamu had explained everything to Noboru. The man nodded and said, "Well, son, the fact that you mustered up the courage to admit your feelings now before it was too late is definitely a good thing. But, well, I'm almost certain this is going to mess Machop up tomorrow if you don't deal with it quickly."

"But what can I do?" Isamu asked, "If anything, it seems like I told her this stuff too early, like I should have waited until the end of the tournament."

Noboru nodded and replied, "Just respect her choice," the boy blinking as he continued, "From what you've told me, all you said was that you understood. Machop is a very good friend and if you were to get upset over her choosing Jackalu over you, that would be immature, don't you think?"

"Yeah, you're right," Isamu said with a deep breath, "I feel like I should have a word with Machop right now," Noboru nodding and giving his son a thumb up.

With that in mind, the boy went off on his own before pulling out his cellphone. But just as he was about to dial up Machop, his eyes widened when he noticed her passing by. Both teens stopped in their tracks and slowly turned to face one-another, their bodies tensing up. As ready for this as Isamu felt before, he was still afraid of what might happen if he gave Machop reassurance. And all the while, Machop was scared of hurting Isamu's feelings.

Even so, Isamu had to make sure the girl could focus on her upcoming match with Chesnaught and thus approached her with a light smile, saying, "Hey, Machop. How's it going? Training going well?"

Machop nodded and replied, "Yeah, everything's awesome," biting her lower lip as her cheeks were flushed pink.

The two stood silently for half-a-minute until Isamu said, "Machop, I need to tell you something," the girl tensing up and uttering, "Okay. What is it?"

"Look, I'm sorry to drop such a big bombshell on you like that," Isamu stated, "The truth is, I sort of knew about your feelings for Jackalu and I was afraid that if I didn't speak up, I wouldn't get a chance to tell you."

Machop's eyes widened as she retorted, "Wait, what!? You already knew!?" a slight hint of anger in her tone as the boy blinked, terror filling his eyes. Was it wrong for him to admit to this?

But just as Machop was about ready to snap at him, she took a deep breath and sighed, "No, no, I shouldn't get mad. You wouldn't do something like this to hurt me, right?" Isamu breathing a sigh of relief and replying, "Of course not. If anything, I kind of regret telling you before the tournament ended. It must be eating away at you."

Machop nodded and gave him a light smile, saying, "Thank you for saying that. I was afraid you weren't even aware of it," as the boy chuckled, the two soon sharing a big laugh.

After a while, Isamu took a deep breath and said, "Anyway, I just wanted to tell you that if you decide that Jackalu is right for you, I'll support you all the way," before resting a hand on her shoulder as she let out a light gasp, her cheeks once again flushed pink, "Whoever you spend your life with is your decision to make."

Machop's heart raced as a big smile formed on her face. She then held Isamu in a tight embrace, his eyes nearly popping out of their sockets as she squealed, "THANK YOU SO MUCH! YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW MUCH I WANTED TO HEAR YOU SAY THAT!"

Isamu chuckled nervously and patted the girl on the back as she released her hold on him and said, "Well, that takes a major load off my back. Now I really can focus completely on tomorrow's match. Again, thank you so much for understanding."

"Of course," Isamu replied before holding out his right fist, "What are friends for?"

And thus Machop pounded her fist against his as the two decided to walk toward Lairon's house. After all, the girl still needed to get some extra training in whereas Isamu had plenty of time to spend outside of the house.

During this time, Rinko and Venipede felt that they had done enough training for the day and decided to go out for dinner. After all, who was to say after his match, Venipede would still be in good enough condition to go on a date with the brunette?

Along the way, they passed by an area where Delphox was practising her magic. She had bags full of cake batter set up and was using her pyrokinesis to burn them. But while destroying the bags themselves was easy, she found that all her fire did was cook the batter slightly.

'Damn,' she thought, 'Slurpuff showed a lot of resistance to Torchic's flames. The only reason he took in pain was because of her feet and nothing else. But my body's not as strong.'

"Hey, you know Slurpuff's not an actual cake, right?" Venipede asked as the fox gasped and turned to them with her hands on fire. But upon seeing who they were, she breathed of a sigh of relief as the fire vanished.

"Hey, you're the two who fought in the first round, right?" the fox asked as Venipede nodded and replied, "Yeah. I have to say, you were pretty awesome against Shuckle. The way you turned that huge advantage of hers against her was brilliant."

"Danke," the fox replied with a sigh, "but I can't accept your praise. I feel like I should have caught onto that sooner, but at least I've seen my new opponent in action. The only problem is I'm not really sure if I can get around his weird tactics."

Rinko shrugged and asked, "What makes you say that? It's not like he has a shell to protect him from your magic," as the fox sighed, "True, but you saw how much trouble Torchic had. Even after she decided to ignore the crowd, she still had trouble fighting him. Her kicks dealt pain, but I don't think her fire added to the damage."

The brunette gave her a supportive smile and said, "Look, if it helps, we could help you train," Venipede nodding and replying, "Yeah. We are planning on having dinner, but it's only five right now. We have plenty of time to spare."

Delphox was about to refuse but soon realized moving targets could make for better practise than lifeless dummies. Not only that, but she had never been offered help before. And to top it all off, she could tell by looking at the duo that she could trust them.

With that, all three trained for roughly an hour, Delphox performing especially well while Venipede felt like he had improved quite a bit. Needless to say, this was beneficial to all of them.

Shortly after training ended, the trio had a conversation, though Delphox did feel rather nervous during the whole thing. While she often kept up a calm and collective demeanour, one thing she had never done was make friends. Needless to say, this was a big deal for her.

"So you both confessed your love after your first victory on Earth," Delphox said with a light smile, "That sounds so romantic. I never had much interest in love before, but it sounds so intriguing now."

"Yeah, meeting Rinko was the best thing that ever happened to me," Venipede stated as he rested an arm on her shoulder, the brunette kissing him on the cheek and adding, "Same here. If it hadn't been for him, I probably would have never found my true potential."

She then looked at her watch and said, "Well, I think we've trained enough. What say we finally have that dinner, eh?" Venipede nodding and replying, "Oh yeah, we left the house for a reason."

"Oh nein," Delphox uttered, "Did I interrupt your date?" as Rinko chuckled and replied, "Don't worry about it. If we didn't want to help you, we wouldn't have volunteered in the first place."

Delphox still could not believe it. After all this time, she had others who actually cared about her and wanted her to succeed. As if that was not surprising enough, even she could not believe how open she was to it after having gone so long without relying on anyone but herself. But either way, she was looking forward to having their support when she fought Slurpuff in the second round.

The rest of the night went by well. Now that things had been cleared up between Machop and Isamu, the girl was sure to rest a lot more easily. She also felt so much more confident about facing Chesnaught and was certain she would win.

And sure enough, the night was nice and peaceful as everyone slept soundly. However, something strange happened at Isamu and Eiko's residence.

While Kelani slept, the hexagons on his chest glowed briefly. But just like the last time, nothing seemed to happen as a result. But why did it happen in the first place, let alone twice? Was this something to worry about?

It seemed that this was not the case and thus the rest of the night went by perfectly. And soon enough, everyone was ready for the second round of the tournament with the first match scheduled to take place in the middle of a forest. No one was sure why Beedrill would pick such a location, but this was far from the strangest place to hold a match during the Hero Olympics.

In order to make sure he was extra prepared for the event, Gallador raced toward the area while leaping from tree to tree, using his arm blades to lob off a few branches. All the while, he had a big grin on his face while thinking, 'Sorry, Machop. I know I'm fighting another friend of yours, but there's no way I'm gonna lose.'

Venipede, meanwhile, had already arrived an hour in advance while Rinko sparred with him just a little bit in preparation. The centipede felt more than ready for this as he implied a smile with his eyes, saying, "Thanks for all the help. I just know I can win this."

Rinko nodded and replied, "Still, try to be careful. Don't forget, you're fighting Machop's cousin."

The centipede nodded and gave the brunette a hug, saying, "I know. Even if I lose, I'm just really glad I made it this far. The old me certainly wouldn't have pulled this off."

The two then shared a brief kiss as it was finally time for the match to begin, the people all seated as Beedrill exclaimed, "Alright, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, it's finally time for the second round to begin!"

The crowd cheered wildly as Jackalu sat in the middle row. He looked at Machop with big, sad eyes and his ears drooped as Clawitzer rolled her eyes and sighed, "I told you we should have come sooner."

Machop was currently seated next to Isamu, but thanks to what he had told her yesterday, it did not feel as awkward as it should have. She felt perfectly calm as she turned to face Jackalu briefly and gave him a light wave. The dog's eyes sparkled as he waved back, his shrimp partner sighing and shaking her head.

"Round one was certainly exciting, but it can only get better from here," Nori stated, "So without further ado, let's introduce our first contestants."

Yuki nodded and exclaimed, "In the red corner, a powerful centipede representing Hungary! He started off as the laughing stock of his team here in Tokyo but has risen his way up and become a real winner! With amazing strength made more impressive by his multiple arms, Venipede!"

The crowd, especially the Hungarian fans went wild as the centipede rolled toward the ring like a wheel. He then leapt into the air and bounced off the ground like a ball high into the air. And once close enough, he retracted from his ball-like state and performed a handstand on the canvas, his friends giving him a round of applause.

His parents, especially, were pleased to see this as Attila said, "He's so cool, isn't he, honey?" Scolipede nodding and replying, "I'm so proud of him."

"And in the blue corner," Nori stated, "the first contestant representing France is certainly a fierce fighter. While his father may have had a questionable reputation, he is certainly no slouch as he has certainly proven himself a force to be reckoned with against the mighty Gyarados. With amazing speed and mighty blades, Gallador!"

The French fans cheered wildly as Gallador performed a somersault toward the ring. He then leapt high into the air and spun with his arms folded like a hand propeller. He then landed perfectly on the tips of his feet, spreading his arms out and shouting, "HELLO, TOKYO!"

Venipede took a deep breath when the white boy gave him a light smile and said, "Sweet. I get to face another friend of Machop's. Here's to a good match," giving him a thumb up as Venipede nodded and bowed his head.

The crowd clapped some more as Yuki said, "It's always nice to see opponents show good sportsmanship, eh?" Nori nodding as Venipede and Gallador walked to separate sides of the ring.

Would Venipede earn himself another victory and impress the world even more or would Gallador get his chance to face Machop in the semi-finals? Only time would tell.


	54. Chapter 54

This was it. After three days of waiting, everyone was ready for the match between Venipede and Gallador to begin. And needless to say, Machop's friends wanted to see the centipede come out on top, though Machop was less certain. After all, while Venipede was a great friend, Gallador was family.

"Alright, the combatants are set!" Yuki exclaimed, "So without further ado, let us begin!"

Once the bell was rung, Venipede stood his ground while Gallador raced toward him. Once he was close enough, he leapt toward the centipede with his arms spread out.

Venipede saw this coming as he tucked himself into a ball and rolled behind Gallador. After that, he retracted to a more normal state while pushing himself up with his top arms. Gallador's eyes widened as the centipede pointed the feelers on his rear end toward him and jabbed them into his back.

The Hungarian crowd went wild as Rinko squealed, "YEAH! YOU RULE, VENIPEDE!" as Vigoroth blinked and uttered, "Wow. This is the first time I've ever seen him use those for combat. I was starting to think he couldn't."

Gallador, however, tried his best to ignore the pain only for Venipede to use his arms to leap off of the mat and latch his legs around his neck, forcing his head forward. The white boy's eyes widened as the centipede latched onto his ankles and used all his might to propel himself high into the air. He then flipped himself one-hundred-and-eighty degrees while the Hungarian and Tokyo fans cheered even louder.

But just as it looked like the back of Gallador's neck would hit the canvas, he started to force his head backwards. It caused him a great deal of strain, but he ultimately pulled it off as the spike atop his skull hit the mat instead, the area going silent.

"Not bad," Gallador said before taking hold of Venipede's wrists, "But it'll take a lot more than that to take me down."

The French fans cheered wildly as the white boy pulled hard enough to force Venipede to release his hold on him. Thus he wound up falling on his belly as Gallador wasted no time climbing onto his back and latching onto his neck with his arms while using his ankles to trap one of his legs in place.

"Venipede had a good start, but Gallador is showing that great strategic thinking that helped him defeat Gyarados!" Yuki stated as Nori added, "Yes. While Venipede has shown great strides, Gallador's pretty amazing too."

Rinko frowned and snapped, "Come on, Venipede! You can resist this! Try using your other arms!" the others turning to her as Kelani asked, "How's he gonna do that?"

However, it seemed the centipede had something in mind as he took a deep breath and grunted, "Right," before using his middle and lower arms to push himself up. Gallador's eyes widened as Venipede managed to propel himself upright, falling backwards and slamming the white boy's back against the canvas.

The Hungarian fans went wild as Gallador released his hold, soon taking in an elbow to the face and another two to his midsection. And of course, Venipede took full advantage of this opportunity and flipped him onto his belly, shouting, "CENTIPEDE BACKBREAKER!" pulling on his chin with his top arms while binding his torso with the rest of them and his legs.

More cheers could be heard as Vigoroth said, "Impressive. Having so many arms is certainly helpful," Meloetta nodding and replying, "Yeah, I'd love to have an extra set of arms. It would really help out when I'm doing chores."

Rinko, on the other hand, seemed to have something else in mind as Eiko noticed her staring off into space and asked, "What's up?" the brunette's cheeks bright pink as she uttered, "Nothing."

Machop, meanwhile, smiled lightly but did not go beyond that. After all, considering who was fighting right now, she would have much rather not taken sides, much like the first two matches of the first round. It was like deciding which friend was her favourite, and most people could not honestly do that.

Gallador groaned from the pain he was feeling as Nori said, "Using his other arms, Venipede has managed to get the advantage back, now trapping Gallador in a submission hold of his own. Let's see what Gallador can do about this."

It seemed the boy had something in mind as Venipede had made a fatal error. Currently, his upper and middle arms were pressed up against the white boy's arms, and it would soon be made clear why this was a bad idea when he started to shift those very parts, the blades starting to turn.

Seeing this, Lairon and Garchomp both gasped as Rinko snapped, "HEY, VENIPEDE, LET GO OF HIM!" the centipede not even stopping to question this as he released his hold on Gallador and leapt off of him.

"Your girlfriend's smart," Gallador said with a grin as he propelled himself up onto his feet, the crowd's excitement rising as Venipede took many deep breaths, thinking, 'Right. I need to be more careful with this guy. I don't wanna suffer the same fate as Gyarados, even if she was okay at the end of it all.'

Scolipede, meanwhile, breathed a sigh of relief as she said, "I have to admit, I like that Rinko girl more and more. Even I didn't see that coming," Attila sighing, "I feel like I should have."

Before Venipede could think of something else to try, Gallador charged at him with his arms folded in front of his face. However, the centipede was ready for this as he knew exactly how to stop the blades from hitting him. Thus he rolled up into a ball and leapt toward the white boy, shouting, "CENTIPEDE STEAMROLLER!" energy buzz saws forming on his shoulders.

Scolipede's eyes sparkled as she exclaimed, "Wow! He really did master it!" Gallador's eyes wide with terror as he kept his arms forward, doing his best to keep Venipede's blades from hitting him.

'Dammit, I thought I'd be ready for him after seeing him in action!' the white boy thought, 'I didn't think he'd have a power like this!' as Rinko exclaimed, "Yeah! Let him have it, honey!"

Machop, Eiko, Isamu and Kelani gave her the most awkward look, the brunette sighing, "Hey, it's not like I want him to kill your cousin or something. Sheesh."

Even so, this certainly seemed to work as after a few seconds, Venipede's blades managed to overpower Gallador and force his back into the ropes. The Hungarian fans were cheering wildly as the French fans stared in horror, the material starting to give way.

'Wait, I can use this,' Gallador thought as he leaned backward, allowing the centipede to fly over him and cut open the ropes. Rinko gasped and snapped, "VENIPEDE, STOP THE ATTACK!" but it was too late as the centipede cut open the ropes and flew out of the ring, retracting just in time for his back to make contact with the ground, Yuki immediately starting the twenty count.

As if things could not get any worse for him, Gallador took full advantage of this and climbed up onto the nearest turnbuckle, smirking and saying, "Not a bad move, but you need more control over it."

With that, he proceeded to leap high into the air with his arms spread out, flipping around before planting his belly into Venipede's. The centipede's eyes widened as he coughed up a bit of green blood, Yuki having now reached five as Nori exclaimed, "It would seem Gallador plans to win this match with a ring-out, but if both fighters remain outside of the ring for twenty seconds, this one's gonna end in a draw and whoever wins the next match will skip the semi-finals."

Machop blinked and uttered, "Oh shit, I don't want that to happen," before barking, "COME ON, GUYS, FINISH THIS IN THE RING!"

Lairon grinned and nodded his head in approval. The fact that his pupil would have much rather earned each and every victory in this tournament was certainly commendable.

Venipede did not wish to lose, at least not this early and thus he ignored the pain to his gut and kicked Gallador off of him. Thus the white boy flew toward the ring as the centipede swung his arms back and used them to propel himself up to his level. And before Gallador knew it, Venipede had his lower and upper arms wrapped around him while using his middle arms to lock the white boy's arms in place.

With Gallador helpless, his back soon made contact with the mat as the Hungarian fans went wild, Nori saying, "And just as things got really close, Venipede has managed to not only get back into the ring but even managed to crush his opponent with what I can only assume is his own version of a flying press."

Rinko and the others cheered as even Machop could not help but breathe a sigh of relief, saying, "It's like I kept telling him on Hero Planet. He's much more badass than he gives himself credit for."

And of course, Venipede would not let this end here as he rose up just a bit, aiming his elbows toward Gallador's shoulders and sides. Once he felt ready, he allowed his upper body to descend thus planting them into those very sports, Gallador groaning from the pain as the centipede leapt off of him and took a deep breath, his eyes implying a big smile while the Hungarian fans cheered wildly.

"Venipede's on fire now!" Yuki squealed, "This isn't the most impressive comeback we've seen from him, but it's certainly effective as Gallador wasn't quite as prepared for this match as he first figured."

"It only makes sense," Nori replied, "While it is true he saw a couple of Venipede's best moves when he fought Rinko, that was only a small handful of what this bug is truly capable of. If this was the old Venipede, Gallador would have had a much better chance, but not anymore."

'I have to admit, your friends keep surprising me more and more,' Gallador thought with a grin as he turned his gaze over to Machop, 'It's good to know you have such amazing allies. But mark my words, we will have our match and I'll stop at nothing to make it happen.'

He then turned his focus back to Venipede and raced toward him. The centipede took a deep breath and waited for him to get close before his antennae glowed green. But just as he was about to send them forward, Gallador stopped his trip and sent a hard punch into his forehead.

Venipede's eyes widened as the white boy smirked and said, "Oh yeah, something worth note is that my mom's a boxer," before sending a barrage of punches forward.

However, Venipede easily ignored the pain after taking in ten punches before using his arms to block the others. Unfortunately for him, though, Gallador had expected him to do this as he sent his knee into his midsection. And with the centipede once again distracted, the white boy leapt at him and wrapped his arm around his neck, using all his might to knock him on his back.

"And not only does Gallador land a series of punches," Yuki stated, "but he also strikes him with a knee kick and a flying clothesline."

With Venipede distracted long enough by the pain, Gallador proceeded to leap into the air and land an axe kick onto his face, the French fans cheering louder than before. But just as the boy was about to rise back up, Venipede ignored the pain and sported a more serious look, wrapping his arms around the spot that had hit him. All went silent as Venipede rose to his feet thus causing Gallador to fall on his back while he forced his leg forward, causing it excruciating pain as the owner cried out in pain.

The Hungarian fans cheered wildly as Yuki exclaimed, "This match just keeps going back and forth! Every time you think one of these two is gonna win, the other makes an amazing comeback!" Nori nodding and replying, "Yep, that is the beauty of wrestling. You never know what's gonna happen."

Venipede applied even more force as Gallador cried even louder, the centipede looking concerned as he said, "Hey, look, if you wanna forfeit, I won't think any less of you. Seriously, I don't wanna end up crippling you just to win this match."

The white boy forced a grin and uttered, "I appreciate the sentiment. You're clearly a good person, but I refuse to forfeit. If I'm gonna lose this match, I'll lose the honourable way."

Venipede let out a sigh and replied, "Well, if you insist," before flinging him high into the air, causing him to flip vertically and leaping up to his level.

Rinko had the biggest grin on her face as she shouted, "YEAH, SHOW HIM WHAT ALL THAT TRAINING WAS FOR!" as the centipede reached Gallador before latching on his ankles with his legs. He then wrapped his upper and lower arms around the white boy's torso while using his middle arms to bend Gallador's back.

The Hungarian crowd went wild as Venipede flipped his body over, shouting, "CENTIPEDE MOONSAULT!" descending toward the canvas, Gallador's belly making contact as he coughed up blood.

"And even when not used on a human, that move Venipede recently created still packs an incredible punch!" Yuki exclaimed as Scolipede clapped and shouted, "Yeah! That's the family spirit! Keep it up!"

Venipede rose to his feet with an implied smile in his eyes, Gallador's face now up against the mat as Yuki started the ten count. Needless to say, the Hungarian fans were more than happy with this as Rinko rose her arm in the air, shouting, "That was awesome, honey!"

Machop blinked and uttered, "Wow. I know Venipede's really good, but damn, it looks like he might have actually won already."

Isamu gave her an odd look and asked, "Are you disappointed?" the girl shaking her head and replying, "Look, whoever wins this match, there's a possibility that I'll still end up fighting a friend, and I'd much rather face a friend than another enemy."

Meloetta nodded and replied, "Yeah. There's less bitterness that way."

However, once Yuki reached seven, Gallador's eyes widened as he pushed himself back to his feet, taking many deep breaths as the French fans gasped. Venipede gulped nervously and turned to face him, uttering, "Seriously? He's still standing!?"

"Sorry to disappoint," Gallador said with a grin, "but I fully intend to face my cousin in the semi-finals. As such, I have no intention of letting you walk all over me. I hope you understand."

Venipede nodded and replied, "Of course. Part of the reason I've trained so hard was to prepare myself for moments like these, so I'll keep doing the best I can too."

"That's what I love to hear," Gallador replied as he raced toward the centipede. However, he was ready as he dodged to the side, sending his arms into the white boy's side.

But just as it looked like he once again had the upper hand, Gallador refused to let himself take in another hit and thus lowered his arm, latching onto Venipede's. Since the boy's arm was long enough, this was certainly possible as the French fans cheered, Gallador grinning before falling backwards, pulling Venipede with him and forcing the back of his head into the canvas.

The centipede rocked back and forth while holding onto the spot that hit the mat as Gallador leapt at him with his arms out, saying, "Don't worry. I'll put as little pressure into this as I can afford so you won't end up in the hospital."

Even with the reassurance, Rinko and the others wanted Venipede to at least roll to the side, anything that would allow him to avoid the incoming attack. But unfortunately, that blow to the head was more effective than it looked and thus Venipede was unable to respond as Gallador exclaimed, "SWORDS DANCE PINWHEEL!"

He then pounded his fists together and started spinning with his arm blades sticking outward. And sure enough, Venipede wound up taking in multiple slashes as if an actual fan blade was beating against his chest, green blood flying out as he cried out in pain.

And after taking in enough pain, he closed his eyes and tilted his head sideways. Seeing this, Gallador ended his assault and leapt back, a grin on his face as he folded his arms, Nori exclaiming, "And it looks like Gallador has just finished off Venipede with a move never seen from his family until now!" Yuki having started the ten count.

Everyone stared, Scolipede and Attila both concerned as the young woman soon reached ten and rang the bell, stating, "And after a very exciting and intense match, and despite Venipede's best efforts, Gallador has won this match and will advance to the semi-finals!"

The French fans went wild as Machop took a deep breath, smiled lightly and applauded her cousin. However, the others were concerned about how Rinko would take this until she let out a sigh and said, "Well, he did the best he could. Honestly, I just think it's awesome that he made it this far, all things considered."

After a few more seconds, Venipede's eyes started to open as he soon realized what just happened and groaned, "Oh no, I lost, didn't I?"

Gallador gave him a warm smile and held out his hand, saying, "Hey, don't let it get you down. You did the best you could. Seriously, this is the hardest I've ever had to work toward a victory."

"You mean it?" Venipede asked, his eyes sparkling as the white boy nodded and replied, "Absolutely."

With that, the centipede took his hand as he rose to his feet, the crowd cheering wildly as Nori sighed, "No matter how many times I see this happen, it never gets old," as Yuki nodded and replied, "I can't believe I spent so long avoiding this profession. I love this stuff."

Beedrill nodded as Rinko sprinted toward the ring and smiled at Gallador, saying, "Thanks for helping him up. I'll take it from here," the white boy nodding and saying, "You got yourself an awesome boyfriend there. I hope you get married and have lots of kids," giving them a thumb up as Meloetta smiled wide, Vigoroth grinning and saying, "Your cousin is awesome, you know that?"

Machop nodded and sighed, "I know, right?" Isamu all the while thinking, 'And just think, I could have technically been related to him.'

"Well, that concludes the first match of the semi-finals," Beedrill stated, "With that in mind, it's time to change locations as our next match starts in two hours. We will hold it here."

He then brought up his big map and pointed to a beach known as Onjuku. Once again, certainly a strange location, but not the weirdest place to hold an Olympic match.

"Well, as long as he doesn't put the ring in the middle of the water, I'm fine with this," Machop said with a grin as she got up, the others joining her.

But just as they were about to head off, the girl noticed Chesnaught shooting daggers at her. It was as if he was thinking about more than just winning the match. Now she could not help but wonder if he had some sort of grudge against her.

Whatever the case, she had no intention of losing this round, especially since she and Gallador had wanted to face each other from the start. But would she pull it off?


	55. Chapter 55

With the first match out of the way, everyone had gathered at the location where the next match would take place. However, since this one was taking place at a beach, many audience members had decided to wear the appropriate attire, whether they were planning to go in the water or not. After all, it was a rather hot day, so at the very least, this decision made sense.

But for the most part, people ultimately decided to use this chance to have some fun on the beach. The match was still an hour and a half away and this gave them plenty of time to enjoy themselves, save for Machop who was off with Lairon and Garchomp to prepare herself for the upcoming match.

Currently, Eiko was building a sand castle with Kelani while dressed in a sky-blue bikini, the doberman smiling wide when he managed to build one that was two feet tall. Isamu, who wore black trunks, smiled at this, glad to see them both having fun.

Rinko and Venipede, all the while, were sunbathing as Rinko said, "It's kind of a shame we can only do this for about an hour," the centipede nodding as the brunette asked, "By the way, how's your wound? That looked pretty brutal."

Venipede shrugged his shoulders and replied, "Luckily, Gallador didn't put too much pressure into it, so I'm alright. Besides, I refuse to miss Machop's match," Rinko nodding and saying, "Yeah. I just know she's gonna kick so much ass today."

Clawitzer and Jackalu were walking around as the dog panted heavily, groaning, "Oh god, why did it have to be so hot today?" Clawitzer rolling her eyes. Of course, being cold blooded and lacking fur, she had no idea what this felt like to her companion.

Their train of thought came to an end when they noticed bleachers and a ring being set up in the deep end of the ocean while still staying within the safe limits. After all, the last thing they wanted to do was risk a potential shark attack. But even so, that was the least of Jackalu's concerns.

"Wait, they're holding the match in the water?" he asked with an eyebrow raised, "Isn't that a little extreme?" Clawitzer shrugging and replying, "Well, it's been said that matches three and four in the twenty-second Hero Olympics were held in a big pool. But yeah, how exactly are the people gonna get to the bleachers without getting wet?"

All was revealed soon enough when a metal walkway was set up leading to the ring and bleachers. Even though the location was still weird, the duo shrugged and figured this was better than having people swim to the location just so they could watch the match up close.

All the while, Vigoroth was flexing her muscles for a few teenaged boys while Meloetta simply watched under an umbrella while seated on a beach blanket. However, that soon came to an end when a young boy walked over and said, "Hey there, pretty lady. You come here often?" her cheeks turning bright pink. While the modern age was still generally new to her, she was familiar with quite a few pick-up lines and could tell that was one of them.

And during this time, Machop was currently training in an abandoned shack as Lairon asked, "So, when he tries his Giga Impact on you, what do you do?" the girl replying, "Wait for the right moment and leap to the side."

"Wonderful," Garchomp replied with a grin, "You're more than ready for this," the girl giving the two a cute grin.

She really hoped this was true, though. After all, Chesnaught had taken in a lot of pain from Klefki and still won regardless, so there was no doubt he was at least as tough as he looked.

Meanwhile, Isamu was lying on a beach blanket with his arms folded behind his head when Jackalu and Clawitzer walked by. The dog blinked and turned to the human boy, saying, "Hey there, old chap. How ya doing?"

"I'm doing alright," Isamu replied, "Bet you two can't wait to face each other, eh?"

"Well, I'm certainly looking forward to it," Clawitzer replied with a light smile as Jackalu grinned and added, "Me too. We're finally gonna find out which of us is better. You know, I've always wondered just how well Clawitzer would fair against evil if I wasn't there to help her."

"You know, even if I do end up being better, that doesn't necessarily mean I'd be good enough by myself," the shrimp remarked as the dog laughed nervously before turning back to Isamu and asking, "I take it Machop's somewhere training, right?"

"Yeah," Isamu replied with a nod of his head, wondering if he should continue this conversation. After all, while Jackalu did not know about Machop's feelings for him, the human still saw him as a rival.

However, Jackalu broke the tension by asking, "Mind if we hang out with you for a while? It's gonna be a bit before we pick out seats, eh?" Clawitzer shrugging and saying, "Yeah, a little more company wouldn't hurt."

Eiko and Kelani had just put the finishing touches on their third sand castle when the pink-haired girl noticed her brother having a polite conversation with Jackalu. While Isamu had not yet told the other heroes about his feelings for Machop, he had told Eiko and thus she could not help but wonder why he would converse with who he considered his rival.

As such, she decided to head over, saying, "Look, Kelani. Jackalu's with Uncle Isamu," the doberman squealing, "Yay! I can finally talk to him!"

And when the two approached the area, Isamu laughed and asked, "So he actually wore a dress?" Clawitzer sighing, "Yeah. He takes bets very, very seriously."

Jackalu shrugged and replied, "Hey, when I make a deal, I stick with it. Besides, you can't deny, Clawitzer, I looked pretty damn hot in that dress," before striking a sexy pose while Isamu and Clawitzer laughed hysterically.

Eiko beamed bright and said, "Hey, guys. Whatcha talking about?" Isamu replying, "Just stuff to pass the time, really."

Kelani stared at Jackalu as he rose an eyebrow and grinned, saying, "Hey there, Kelani. What have you been up to today?" the doberman replying, "I've been building sandy castles!" wagging his tail as Jackalu gave him the biggest open-mouth smile.

"Sand castles!?" he exclaimed with a childish grin, Clawitzer slapping her forehead as he added, "I love sand castles! Come on, let's go build one right now!"

"YAY!" Kelani cheered as the two canines started building one, Eiko giggling as Isamu sighed, "My god, he must be a riot at parties."

"You have no idea," Clawitzer replied with a light smile, "I often act embarrassed by him, but I have to admit, his childish tendencies are adorable. I often tell him to grow up, but a part of me would be disappointed if he actually took that advice."

"Yeah, I can see why Machop likes him so much," Isamu added as his eyes went wide only for Clawitzer to chuckle and say, "Don't worry, I can see it whenever she looks at him. But, um, don't tell her, but just between us, Jackalu shares her feelings. In fact, he fell for her first."

"Huh," Isamu replied, "I had my suspicions, but I didn't think I was actually right," as Eiko stared in shock, uttering, "Oh my god. I hope one of them finds the courage to say something. I know how hard it is for most people."

Isamu shrugged as Eiko stared at him, the boy saying, "Yeah, I hope one of them confesses at some point. The Olympics will only last another two weeks or somewhere along those lines, right?"

The pink-haired girl breathed a sigh of relief, glad to see that her brother really was okay with Machop's feelings for Jackalu. After all, Isamu had never been in love before, so one could only imagine how clingy someone like him could be when finally discovering such feelings.

At that moment, Beedrill flew through the area, blowing into a whistle before pulling out a megaphone. Once he had everyone's attention, he exclaimed, "Just so you all know, the next match will be starting soon! I repeat, the next match will be starting soon! If you want some good seats, now's the time to claim them! Just walk along this ramp right here!"

He then pointed to the metal walkway and added, "The match will, in fact, take place in the deep end of the ocean, but don't worry. We're keeping it within the limits set by the buoys so that way, no potentially dangerous sea creatures can get anyone."

With that in mind, many headed toward the walkway to head to the bleachers as Eiko asked, "Should we go?"

Jackalu had just placed a tiny flag on top of his and Kelani's castle as he groaned, "Aw, we have to find our seats already?" as Kelani beamed and replied, "It's okay. I wanna see Machop beat up that mean old Chesnaught anyway," the blue dog squealing, "Me too!"

As such, the group headed off as Lairon poked his head outside of the shack, saying, "Oh yeah, I know exactly how you're gonna enter," Machop letting out a sigh and groaning, "What else is new? But remember, you're not giving me advice during the match. I'm gonna prove that I'm ready for this."

"Of course," Garchomp replied with a grin, "We remembered. During this tournament, we are merely spectators and not your trainers."

The girl gave them a sweet smile as the trio shared a group hug. Machop would never forget how Lairon turned her from a headstrong wannabe to a real hero who knew how to strategize.

After more time had passed, the people were all seated and ready to watch the match. Isamu felt rather uncomfortable when he noticed three teenaged boys had specifically chosen to sit behind Eiko just so they could peer down at her cleavage and thus he cast them a glare, all three whistling innocently and looking away.

"You know, just because we're still at the beach doesn't mean you have to keep your bikini on," the boy groaned as Eiko shrugged and replied, "Hey, you haven't changed out of your trunks yet," the boy staring silently and lifting his finger before realizing he had nothing to say to that.

Kelani, being the innocent naive child he was, had no clue what they were referring to as Jackalu grinning and said, "I can't wait to see Machop in action again! She's so cool!" as Clawitzer sighed, "I will admit, the way she turned a huge disadvantage around just like that was pretty impressive. I can only expect much better now that her opponent's not made of garbage."

Meloetta, meanwhile, looked around before spotting the boy who had flirted with her waving from the other side of the bleachers. The green-haired girl shot him a smile back and gave him a light wave, Vigoroth blinking and asking, "Wait, is this what I think it is?"

"Well, yeah," Meloetta replied with a sweet smile, "He asked me out on a date. I've never been on one, and, well, now it's possible, so how could I say no?"

"Oh god," the sloth sighed before shaking her head, "We'll talk about this later."

"Ladies and gentlemen!" Beedrill exclaimed, "It's finally time for the second match of round two to begin! We had a really good first match, but hopefully this one will be even more intense! Take it away, ladies!" pointing to the announcers who nodded in response.

"In the red corner," Yuki stated, "the daughter of Machoke has made her way past the first round, conquering her fears and defeating the mighty Garbodor! But now she comes to us raring for more! With great speed, strength and skill, Machop!"

The crowd stared in stunned silence as rather than walking toward the ring from the walkway, Machop stood next to the water with a water jet pack strapped to her back. She could not help but tremble as Lairon grinned and nodded his head, reassuring her that it would not run out of the water that gave it its flight.

With that in mind, the girl took a deep breath and turned it on, water shooting from the jets as she took to the sky. She let out a cry of terror and performed a series of spins before dive-bombing into the ring, her face hitting the canvas hard.

"I have to admit, if that had worked, that could have been her best entrance yet," Rinko said as Venipede nodded and turned to Lairon, asking, "Did you at least try to teach her how to use that first?"

"I would have, but we were only able to rent it for about an hour," Lairon sighed as Garchomp nodded and added, "We should probably return it now."

Machop grumbled curses and pushed herself up, taking the jet pack off of her back and tossing it into the water, Lairon and Garchomp gasping in horror only to remember it was connected to a long pump located on the shore. As such, they could not help but feel relieved to know it would not be lost at sea.

"In the blue corner," Nori stated, "Hailing from Spain is a powerful armadillo who, despite all odds, managed to overcome Klefki and his unpredictable fighting style! With amazing strength and a strong suit of armour, Chesnaught!"

The Spanish fans went wild as the armadillo headed toward the ring with a maniacal smirk on his face. Machop tensed up upon seeing this as it really did seem like he, too, had something against her. Hopefully she was wrong about this as the last thing she needed was another participant who wanted to see her specifically in a body cast.

Once Chesnaught was in the ring, he cracked his knuckles and said, "You know, when I found out you were in this tournament, I was beyond happy," Machop and everyone else confused by this as he added, "You may not know who my father is, but I know full-well who yours is."

"Well, no shit," Rinko scoffed, "What's the big deal? Everyone knows who Machoke is," Venipede shaking his head and replying, "I get the feeling he means something different."

"Right you are, Venipede," Chesnaught said with a snicker, "That's right, Machop. While that compost heap who calls himself a hero may have had it out for you simply because of your connection to Gallador, my hatred toward you stems from your entire family."

Machop then let out a sigh and groaned, "Okay, enough beating around the bush. What did my daddy do to yours," as the armadillo explained, "Well, it was the second event, the damsel in distress race. My father, Quilladin, was his opponent. He had a huge advantage, almost won only for Machop to trip and fly past him."

"So he won in a similar fashion to how Machop beat Manectric," Jackalu said with a shrug only for Chesnaught to growl, "Mark my words. You've had it good for a long time, but now that I've gotten my chance, my family will be the one advancing to the semi-finals, not yours!"

With all said and done, Machop gulped but refused to let this intimidate her. After all, she had made it this far and refused to go down, at least not before facing her cousin.

The two heroes stood on separate sides of the ring as Yuki stated, "Alright, with introductions out of the way, let's begin," before ringing the bell.

Chesnaught wasted no time racing toward Machop as she panicked, dodging to the right just in time to avoid an incoming scratch. Despite all of his armour, it seemed Chesnaught was quite fast, and there was no way he would give Machop a chance to retaliate as he swung his arm into her cheek.

"Hey, are you gonna take that!?" Jackalu spat as Machop frowned and grunted, "No, I'm not!"

Chesnaught blinked as she clasped onto his wrist, pulling hard on his arm as she sent a kick into his midsection. However, this hardly got a reaction from the armadillo as he smirked and said, "Not bad, but not good enough."

With that, he held up his free fist as spikes formed on it, shouting, "MINI SPIKY SHIELD!" and pulling Machop inward.

The girl's eyes and mouth were wide open as her forehead was rammed into the spikes, blood flying out of that spot as the crowd gasped. As a result, Machop released her hold on Chesnaught before taking in a hard punch to her cheek. Thus she fell on her side and rolled into the turnbuckle, her back hitting it hard as she winced in pain.

The Spanish fans went wild as Yuki said, "And things are starting off horribly for Machop. While Chesnaught had quite a bit of trouble against Klefki, he's having no problem against Tokyo's hero as he turns her own tactic against her."

Machop groaned and rubbed her forehead with one hand, trying her best not to let the small holes get to her. With her other hand, she rubbed her back as she slowly rose to her feet, breathing heavily with terror in her expression. The match had only lasted more than a minute and she already felt like she was going to lose.

Isamu gritted his teeth and spat, "Hey, Machop! Don't let it get to you! You've dealt with worse!" the girl nodding and thinking, 'He's right.'

Chesnaught laughed and retorted, "Do you honestly believe that?" Machop staring as he added, "I've watched your matches online, and while you have defeated a number of impressive villains, none of them could compare to me, not even Marshal and Kingdra. You may have a really good track record, but you are still nothing compared to me."

Machop was about to retort when the armadillo said, "And you know something else? Your father wasn't that impressive," everyone gasping as he added, "Think about it. Every time he won, it was a close call. The extreme thrashing and torment he had to endure before winning a single match was astounding. In fact, a lot of the time, his victories were brought about by dumb luck."

"Hey, he can't talk about the world champion like that!" Eiko squeaked as Garchomp sighed, "Well, he is being disrespectful, but I can kind of see where he's coming from," everyone else giving her an awkward stare.

"Think about it," Chesnaught said with a smirk, "If it hadn't been for the fact that he was fighting in a pool with sea life to help him out, he wouldn't have come close to defeating Barbaracle. And when he fought Golduck, the only reason he won was because she was too careless to come up with abilities that didn't require her power to control water. And then when he fought Ninetales, he only won because of Scyther, a fact that was unknown for many years. The only time he didn't get any help in the ring was when he fought Lucario, and I think you know how that ended."

Machop shook her head, but knew all of this to be true. Machoke had told her about these events. Scyther's spirit helping him out against Ninetales was hard to believe, but he had assured the girl that it had definitely happened.

"Is all of that true?" Isamu asked as Lairon sighed, "I hate to say it, but he's not making that up."

"In fact, your match against Garbodor pretty much told me all I needed to know," Chesnaught scoffed, "You would have failed if you didn't have Mister Fancy Pants Brit to ease your mind. It seems you need luck just as much as your daddy did."

Machop gritted her teeth and clenched her fists as the others stared in horror, Lairon barking, "NO, MACHOP! DON'T LET HIM GET TO YOU!"

But it was too late as the girl charged toward Chesnaught and snapped, "YOU TAKE THAT BACK!" sending a hard punch toward his face.

The armadillo smirked and sent a punch forward only for the girl to leap to the right and send a roundhouse into his cheek. His eyes widened as he then took a hard punch to the same spot, the crowd going wild as Kelani clapped, Eiko saying, "I guess there was no need to worry, eh, Lairon?"

"No, the same thing happened when Machoke fought Lucario," Lairon groaned as Chesnaught smirked and said, "Klefki's hits were stronger."

Machop's eyes widened as Chesnaught proceeded to ram his shoulder into hers, and since it had a big spike, this naturally put a big hole in the girl's flesh as she cried out in pain. And things would only get worse from her as the armadillo swung his arm sideways and rammed it into Machop's neck, knocking her on her back as the Spanish crowd cheered wildly.

Machop's friends stared in horror as Chesnaught proceeded to take hold of her wrist, lifting up her arm and applying a hard grip to it. He then leaned down on her back to make sure she could not get up, Yuki exclaiming, "And it would seem Chesnaught was not blowing smoke! Machop's just a sitting duck while he continues to whale on her! Could it be!? Has Machop truly met her match!?"


	56. Chapter 56

With the match already off to a bad start, things had taken a turn for worse as Machop was caught in a horrible arm lock. As if that was not enough, Chesnaught was also lying on her back to make it more difficult for her to get up.

"Just give up already," he said with a smirk, "Not even you can get out of this, not without some miracle saving you from the hands of defeat."

The crowd watched in horror as Eiko squeaked, "Is there some way she can get out of that!?" Kelani asking, "She can escape from that hold, right?"

Lairon nodded and snapped, "HEY, MACHOP, THERE'S A WAY OUT OF THAT HOLD! JUST REMEMBER YOUR TRAINING!"

The girl's eyes went wide as she remembered a few weeks ago when Lairon had her in a similar position. When he did it, he was lying next to her, but despite this, the hold was still a hard one to escape from. But even so, after two minutes, Machop had managed to come up with a way out of it.

With that in mind, the girl took a deep breath and gritted her teeth, Chesnaught's eyes widening as she managed to shift her arm back and forth. This put a tad more strain on said part but also weakened the armadillo's hold on it. This gave her the perfect opportunity to slip her arm out of his grip before planting her hands against the mat and pushing upward.

The armadillo attempted to grab her arm again, but it was too late as Machop used all her might to force him off of her back. As a result, he wound up falling on his side as the French fans went wild, the girl slowly but surely rising to her feet.

Chesnaught stared in shock as Machop groaned in pain and rubbed her aching arm. However, her look of discomfort soon became a smirk as she felt more than ready to continue.

But just as quickly as her confidence returned, it was replaced by shock when Chesnaught chuckled. And after a few seconds, he broke out into hysterics as he exclaimed, "You think what you just did was impressive!? You think that advice your trainer just gave you is something to be proud of!?"

Everyone stared as Isamu uttered, "What is he talking about? It worked, didn't it?" Vigoroth sighing, "True, but it also caused her arm more pain than if she'd just allowed him to keep pulling. Not to mention getting him to fall off looked like it took a great deal of effort too, more so than usual."

Chesnaught smirked and said, "Your friend is right. You could have gotten out of that hold without hurting yourself, but instead, you went with the advice of an old geezer," Lairon retorting, "HEY, I'M IN MY FOURTIES, YOU ASS!"

Garchomp patted him on the shoulder and coaxed, "There, there, he's just trying to sound tough," only for Chesnaught to sigh, "Look, tactics like those were effective back in the day, but nowadays, there are better methods. If you were truly the hero you make yourself out to be, Machop, you would have come up with a more effective method of your own instead of relying on the teachings of a relic."

Machop stared in stunned silence as Meloetta whimpered, "I hope she doesn't listen to him," Lairon sighing, "I doubt she will. Gyarados tried the exact same thing on her, and she remembers what happened when she stopped taking my advice."

However, it seemed his assumption was wrong as Machop sighed, "You're right," the dinosaur's eyes and mouth wide with horror as she added, "Lairon's teachings are very good and they've helped me out of a lot of tough scrapes, but that was back when I wasn't fully confident in myself and didn't know a whole lot. But now that I've gotten tougher, I don't need to rely on those old manoeuvres anymore."

Chesnaught let out a sigh and said, "There's talking about it and then there's proving it. Now to see if you can back up those words of yours."

He then proceeded to race toward the girl with his elbow out. However, Machop saw this coming as she dodged to the right, sending a karate chop into Chesnaught's cheek. But much like the hits dealt earlier, he ignored the pain and redirected his elbow sideways, ramming it into the girl's ribcage.

The Spanish fans continued to cheer as Machop gritted her teeth, holding onto the spot that had just been hit as the armadillo sighed, "It's like I said. You and your family are pathetic. You boast this ultimate strength, yet you can't even overcome pain when it's dealt to you."

"SHUT UP!" Machop retorted, doing her best to ignore the pain now as she sent a flying kick toward the armadillo. However, the pain to her ribs overwhelmed her for the time being as she gasped, Chesnaught taking full advantage of this as he cupped his hands together and lifted them above his head. And once Machop was close enough, he sent them downward and rammed them into midsection, causing her to cough up blood as she fell on her back.

"MACHOP!" Jackalu and Isamu gasped as Eiko covered Kelani's eyes, squeaking, "I can't watch this!"

Machop's body twitched as Yuki started the ten count, the French side going silent as Clawitzer sighed, "Dammit, she let her pride get the better of her," as Rinko groaned, "Come on! Why would she fall for this again!?"

However, once Yuki reached five, Machop gritted her teeth and slowly pushed herself up into a sitting position. She then took many deep breaths before rising to her feet and grunting, "Don't think for the minute that you've won! You've only seen a sample of what I'm capable of!"

"Who are you trying to kid!?" Chesnaught retorted, "Come on, think about it! One thing your father and grandfather had over you was muscle, and it still felt like a miracle whenever they won! Truth be told, those Olympics matches weren't the only cases where Machoke got lucky."

"Tell me, then!" Machop retorted, "When else did he get lucky!?" Chesnaught sighing, "Well, there was the time he entered the qualification tournament. You know how he got in? Every single participant except for one was unable to attend for some reason or another. And even then, the participant he did face would have actually won if Beedrill hadn't delayed the ten count and let him rise to his feet!"

"He has a point there," Beedrill gulped as the armadillo continued, "And that's not the first time that happened. Heck, when he fought Heracross, he only won because Weedle dropped his mallet. And then there were all those other times they let him recover during a tournament just because his opponent was a villain who snuck in, meaning the rules suddenly didn't matter anymore."

Machop frowned and retorted, "Well, I don't need luck to win my matches! I win mine fair and square, only using the occasional instructions!" as Chesnaught sighed, "That's nothing to be proud of."

The girl was about to retort when he added, "If there is one thing I will give your father and grandfather credit for, it's that both of them actually did come up with at least a few finishing moves of their own. With Machamp, he was the one who invented the Ultimate Driver and the Muscle Tombstone, not to mention the move he defeated Groudon with, the Mach Sparkle."

The crowd gasped as Nori said, "There's a name even I'd almost forgotten," as Chesnaught continued, "Meanwhile, Machoke invented the Sunset Slam and the Muscle Tornado. You, on the other hand, have not come up with a single move of your own. So far, the team weakling is the only one who's managed to pull that off."

Venipede's eyes widened as Rinko snapped, "YOU TAKE THAT BACK! VENIPEDE'S AWESOME!"

Machop took many deep breaths as she gritted her teeth and retorted, "JUST SHUT UP!" before racing toward Chesnaught only to be caught in his arms. And it was not long until he lifted her up and lowered his hands, taking hold of her thighs and slamming her back into the mat.

"And Chesnaught connects a powerbomb, stopping Machop's attack," Yuki said as Chesnaught proceeded to plant his foot into the girl's face, shifting it back and forth as if he was squishing a bug.

"You know, I'm actually kind of disappointed," Chesnaught said with a smug grin, "I was hoping my revenge on your family would be satisfying, but so far, you're nowhere near as good as I was hoping you'd be. At the very least, Klefki was a major challenge and he was unpredictable. You, on the other hand, are so easy to figure out."

"God, do you ever stop bragging!?" Machop retorted as she slowly lifted her arms, taking hold of the armadillo's ankle and attempting to force it off of her. However, it did not seem to work as each time she lifted it, Chesnaught would apply just enough force to send his foot back into her face.

Lairon bit his lower lip as Garchomp sighed, "It's fine. I'm sure she'll find a way out of that," as Jackalu barked, "COME ON, MACHOP! YOU CAN DO IT! HE'S WRONG!"

"Damn straight!" the girl grunted as she let out a loud battle cry, expanding the size of her arm muscles just long enough to shove Chesnaught's foot off of her, his eyes widening as he wound up falling on his back.

The French fans went wild as Machop rose to her feet, leaping into the air and planting her feet into the armadillo's gut. She then proceeded to mount herself on that very spot before sending a barrage of punches into his face, the crowd cheering even louder as Lairon nodded and said, "This is good, but I hope she knows better than to get carried away."

It seemed so as Machop smirked and said, "I think that's enough of that," but just as she was about to leap off, Chesnaught smirked and asked, "What? Are you afraid of what will happen if I try to block your punches? I thought you were tougher than that."

Machop's friends all shook their heads, but she ignored them and spat, "Hell yeah I am!" before sending more punches into his face, only these ones were faster. Chesnaught attempted to block them with his hands, but each time, Machop saw it coming and redirected her fists.

"Wow, Machop's on fire now!" Yuki exclaimed, "After taking in one beating after the next, she's not gonna give Chesnaught another chance to fight back!"

But after a while, the girl started to breathe heavily as her punches slowed down. Chesnaught saw this and smirked, thinking, 'Perfect,' holding up his hand just in time to grab the next punch.

Machop's eyes widened as she attempted to pry her fist away only for the armadillo to place his free hand against her arm. Her eyes widened as he threw his arms back, causing her to fly upside-down toward the turnbuckle behind him, the back of her head making contact with it as she coughed up blood.

The Spanish fans went wild as Chesnaught watched her slide down it, Lairon groaning, "Of course! By using her muscle expansion earlier, she used up a great deal of energy! That's why she wasn't able to keep up that speed!"

"You know, I'll give you some credit for actually knocking me down," Chesnaught said with a smirk as he backed up toward the ropes, "However, the minute you used that special Mach family technique of yours, I knew you pretty much sealed your own fate. I know all about that move and how your kind can't risk using it much because doing so puts a great deal of strain on you."

However, Machop refused to let this bring her down as she slowly recovered, using the turnbuckle to help right herself up. However, it was too late as Chesnaught leapt backward, planting his feet against the ropes as they stretched back. He then launched himself forward, a bright light surrounding his body as he tucked his head into his shell and folded his arms.

"Good, Machop's actually ready for this," Lairon said with a grin as Chesnaught exclaimed, "GIGA IMPACT!"

However, rather than trying to dodge the move, it seemed she had something else in mind as she leapt toward Chesnaught with her head pointed outward. Everyone stared in horror as Garchomp groaned, "Oh no! Why would she think that would work!?"

And sure enough, once Machop's head collided with Chesnaught's helmet, the holes on her forehead grew bigger as she wound up spinning sideways and falling on her back. All went silent as it seemed the girl was no longer able to move, her eyes rolled to the back of her head while Yuki wasted no time starting the ten count.

Machop's friends could not help but panic as Chesnaught folded his arms and with a smirk and grunted, "Pitiful, truly pitiful. But don't think you've let your family down. After all, your father made stupid mistakes like this too."

When Yuki reached four seconds, Jackalu snapped, "COME ON, MACHOP! GET UP!" the others joining in. However, their words seemed to mean nothing as the announcer reached seven, Nori saying, "This might be it, folks. This could very well be Machop's second loss."

"NO!" Isamu spat as Yuki ended the count and turned to him, the boy barking, "Come on, Machop! I've seen you pull off miracles the likes of which I've never seen from anyone else! I know you can recover from this!"

Machop's body started to twitch as the boy added, "But if you do manage to get up, don't let Chesnaught's words get the better of you! So what if you're not a perfect fighter!? No one is!"

"Besides, part of being a hero is based on luck," Lairon explained with his arms folded, "That's the whole point of the Rock, Paper, Scissors event. It's to test how lucky you are under dire circumstances. Besides, something your dad learned when he fought Bisharp was that everyone needs guidance to succeed. He eventually stopped needing Aipom's advice and, trust me, it'll happen to you someday as well. But for the time being, never forget that we're here to help you."

Yuki had light tears as she listened to this, Chesnaught turning to her and barking, "HEY, YOU WERE ABOUT TO COUNT TO OCHO!" the young woman blinking and uttering, "Right."

But right when she counted to that number, Machop seemed to make a full recovery as her eyes returned to view and she sprang to her feet. She took a deep breath and gave her friends a light smile while the French fans went wild, Isamu breathing a sigh of relief as Eiko patted him on the shoulder.

"You're awesome, you know that?" she asked as Isamu blinked, Jackalu nodding and saying, "She's right. You were the first one to know just what to say there. Lairon filled in the rest, but you started it, pal."

Isamu's eyes widened as a big smile formed on his face, Lairon nodding his head and saying, "You're a smart kid, Isamu."

Chesnaught gritted his teeth and barked, "NO! I CANNOT ACCEPT THIS! RING THAT BELL RIGHT NOW! SHE WAS DOWN FOR ALMOST A MINUTE!"

"Sorry, but unless I actually count to ten, it doesn't count," Yuki replied with a nervous grin as the Spanish fans had no idea how to react to that.

"Oh well," the armadillo sighed with a shrug and a smirk, "All this does is further prove how pathetic you are. The fact that you needed the ten count delayed to recover tells me that you never had what it took to win this match."

"No, that was true when I took your insults to heart," Machop grunted, "I'm not going to deny that you have a point. Yes, my daddy relied a lot on luck to win his matches, and heck, I've had a bit of good fortune on my side too. I would have lost the big race if Jackalu hadn't come and given me the help I needed, but you know what? I still feel like I deserve to be here right now, and while you may be physically stronger than me, that doesn't mean I can't defeat you!"

"Alright, then prove it!" Chesnaught retorted as he raced toward her. However, Machop was no longer going to try and overpower him and thus when he got close, she leapt to the side. She knew he would try to counter and thus she wrapped her arm around his neck, his eyes wide open as she used her free arm to push on his back, falling backwards and slamming his face into the canvas.

"And Machop catches Chesnaught off-guard with a powerful blow to the face!" Yuki exclaimed as Isamu grinned and gave Machop a thumb up.

And it did not end there as the girl sent her elbow into the back of Chesnaught's neck. Afterwards, she backed up a bit as he slowly started to recover before leaping at him with her arm out, shouting, "MOON HOOK!" and ramming it hard into the back of his neck.

Chesnaught coughed up blood and once again fell face-first into the mat while the French fans went wild. Needless to say, Machop's friends were equally happy to see this as they applauded her wildly, Isamu flashing a light smile. Even if the girl did not choose him, he would always find her amazing.

Machop knew this was not over yet as Chesnaught slowly rose to his feet, breathing heavily and saying, "Alright, so you're thinking straight now. Big deal. After all the damage I dealt to you earlier, you stand no chance."

He then proceeded to leap backwards, once again kicking the ropes before bouncing off with his skull pointed toward Machop. A light surrounded his body as he exclaimed, "GIGA IMPACT!" only for Machop to be ready as she waited for just the right moment.

When that time came, she leapt to the side as Chesnaught's helmet made contact with the turnbuckle behind her. The French fans cheered once more as the girl took full advantage of this, taking hold of Chesnaught's ankles and smirking, saying, "You've been a real challenge, I'll admit, but you made the fatal mistake of underestimating a Mach!"

The armadillo's eyes widened as she leapt high into the air with his ankles still in her grasp, and he could not believe it. Despite him being much stronger and heavier, especially due to his armour, she was still able to lift him high above the mat.

She then proceeded to wrap her arms around his torso while latching her legs onto the area below his shoulders. The crowd went wild as Nori exclaimed, "And Machop sets up for a move we haven't seen in ages, the second original move Machamp ever thought up!"

"NO!" Chesnaught spat as Machop shouted, "ULTIMATE DRIVER!" planting his helmet hard against the canvas.

All went silent as cracks formed on it. And soon enough, the material burst open as small fragments fell to the ground, revealing messy chestnut-brown hair underneath. And with more blood escaping from Chesnaught's mouth, his eyes rolled to the back of his head as Machop released her hold on him, allowing him to collapse.

The area went silent save for Yuki who started the ten count. Was this really it? Even with the shattered helmet, Chesnaught's head had still been protected when he hit the canvas, not to mention Machop had taken in far more damage than he did up to this point.

But despite this, Yuki still reached ten seconds and rang the bell, Chesnaught's eyes widening as he quickly sprang to his feet, shouting, "IT'S OKAY! I'M UP!"

However, he soon had a look of terror when Nori stated, "Regardless, you were down for ten seconds, therefor Machop wins the match and advances to the semi-finals."

The French fans along with Machop's friends went wild as Chesnaught's eye twitched. He then clutched onto his head and spat, "NO! I CAN'T ACCEPT THIS! I WON'T ACCEPT IT! SHE LOST! SHE WAS DOWN FOR FAR LONGER THAN TEN SECONDS, YET YOU STILL LET HER CONTINUE!"

Machop let out a sigh and said, "Look, Chesnaught, I'm sorry for what happened to your daddy, but you know, look on the bright side. You did an unbelievable job. Unlike him, you made it to the second round, and what's more, you came really close to defeating me, closer than even the mightiest villains that I've faced so far."

It seemed Chesnaught would not accept this as he gritted his teeth. However, his look of fury turned to one of shock when a Spanish fan said, "Hey, you're always a winner to me."

Chesnaught turned as another added, "Si. So you lost this match. Big deal. You're still awesome," another adding, "We're proud to have someone as strong as you representing us."

Chesnaught's eyes sparkled as a big smile formed on his face, the Spanish crowd cheering for him as Eiko let down light tears, sniffing, "God, Machop's matches always have to be so emotional, don't they?" as Isamu nodded and sighed, "Yeah, she's amazing."

With all said and done, the armadillo smirked and turned to Machop, saying, "Well, I still think I deserved this victory, but at least I have an equally awesome opponent taking my place in this tournament. Put her there."

He then held out his hand as Machop nodded and shook it, the area bursting with even louder cheers and applause. Needless to say, things had ultimately turned out for the best.

"Well, that concludes the first half of round two," Beedrill stated, "Since I've taken a shining to this place lately, I've decided to hold the next match in the mountains," pointing to the location on his big map, "So everyone head over there for the long-awaited match between Jackalu and Clawitzer."

The crowd clapped before getting up, Eiko grinning and saying, "Well, come on, Kelani. I think it's time to change into regular clothes again."

"Yes, please do," Isamu replied before noticing one of the three guys sitting behind Eiko looking creepily at his cell phone. The boy glared at him and growled, "You delete that photo or I'll hunt you down."

"Do it," one of the three whispered, "There's a rumour that guy might be Machop's boyfriend," the one with the phone nodding and immediately deleting a snapshot of Eiko's cleavage.

"That's better," Isamu grunted as he folded his arms, trying his hardest to ignore what they said about him being Machop's boyfriend. After all, as long as they believed it, he could rest easy knowing a provocative photo of his sister would not be featured online.

But just as the group was about to leave the area for good, Machop signalled Isamu to come over as he nodded and said, "You guys go on ahead. Machop and I will catch up with you," Lairon nodding and replying, "Alright."

Jackalu rose an eyebrow as Clawitzer rolled her eyes and sighed, "I'll wait for you by the shoreline," and headed off as the dog gave her two thumbs up with a big grin.

Isamu walked over and said, "That was some match, eh? It really looked like you were gonna lose back there," as Machop sighed, "Yeah, and I totally would have if you hadn't spoken up. I just wanted to thank you for that."

Her cheeks were bright pink as Isamu shrugged and replied, "Hey, seeing you of all heroes take in punishment like that was painful. Granted, Sneasel drew much more blood when you fought her, but still."

Machop chuckled before saying, "You know, Isamu, I've been thinking quite a bit about our conversation three days ago and the followup yesterday," Jackalu raising an eyebrow as Isamu blinked and asked, "Really? Because I told you it's okay. I know how much you like Jackalu."

'She returns my feelings?' the dog thought as his eyes sparkled, but just as he was about to rush in there and confess everything, Machop sighed, "Well, I do like him, but, well, I've known you longer. You seemed like such a stick in the mud at first, but you're a lot of fun and surprisingly sweet. And you know what? I can't blame you for how you treated us at first. You were just looking out for your sister, and that's awesome."

Isamu's heart raced as Jackalu bit his lower lip and shrugged his shoulders, sighing, "It was a long shot anyway." But rather than heading back, he decided to stick around longer just to make sure this really was going where he thought it was.

"One last thing, you look really hot without a shirt one," Machop added with a grin as Isamu chuckled, replying, "Oh yeah, I'm still in my trunks, aren't I?"

Machop snickered and said, "Yeah, but for the time being, I don't mind it," before giving him a peck on the cheek and whispering, "By the way, it's a little late, but my answer is yes."

Jackalu sported a big smile and said, "Aw, what the heck? Those two are adorable," before turning around and heading back to Clawitzer. After all, he needed to focus on his own match right now.


	57. Chapter 57

Note: The song Clawitzer sings is inspired by the Karubi Don Ondo from Kinnikuman Nisei.

Everyone was gathered in the mountains, and since it was close to two o'clock, many decided to have picnic lunches as long as they were waiting. And during this time, Vigoroth was having a long talk with Meloetta about her decision to agree to a date with a guy she knew nothing about.

"I really hate to ruin your buzz, but you can't just agree to date anyone who asks you out," Vigoroth replied, "At the very least, learn his name first. You never know when these people might be trying to take advantage of you."

"Oh no!" the green-haired girl squeaked, "Should I find him and cancel?" only for Vigoroth to sigh, "That's why you should have gotten his number first, but don't worry about it. I'll watch you during your date, but I'll keep my distance so he doesn't know. And if he tries anything suspect, I'll see to it that he never tries it again," planting her fist against her palm.

"Thank you so much!" Meloetta squealed as she gave the sloth a hug, the others chuckling at this before Rinko held up a sandwich and snapped it in half, handing one side over to Venipede.

"Thanks, but you really don't need to do this," the centipede uttered as Rinko smirked and remarked, "I know you got a whole sandwich of your own. I was just thinking maybe we could each try a bit of the other's, eh?"

Venipede laughed nervously and replied, "That sounds ideal, but mine contains fried worms," as Rinko shrugged and said, "As long as they're cooked, I'm game."

Kelani was enjoying a liverwurst sandwich of his own while Eiko said, "Now remember, enjoy every bite," as the doberman nodded and replied, "Okay, Mommy," before scarfing it down, the pink-haired girl staring, not even sure if she should tell him what it meant to actually enjoy food.

Meanwhile, Machop and Isamu were having their own lunch as Eiko smiled at them. Naturally, neither wanted to keep their new relationship a secret, so they had told everyone during the ride to the mountains. Needless to say, the group was very happy for them, especially with Eiko possibly having her favourite hero as a sister-in-law. Though no one was sure whether or not to reveal the fact that Jackalu had obviously shared her initial feelings for him.

Speaking of which, the dog was currently training in a secluded area, ramming his palms into a variety of rocks and leaping around, saying, "Alright, Clawitzer, it's finally time to show you that I am, in fact, the superior member of our team."

Clawitzer, meanwhile, was doing the same with her big claw as after striking a few rocks, she blinked and looked at her smaller claw, saying, "Maybe I should try to strengthen this one too. I've never really counted on it that much."

After another hour, the wait was over as the seats were filled, Beedrill stating, "Well, folks, it's finally time for the match everyone has been looking extremely forward to. Now, much like the first match in round one, this one's between two allies. Needless to say, the tensions are high."

Meloetta bit her lower lip and said, "I just hope that whatever happens, they still remain good friends," as Machop nodded and replied, "Well, most of the matches so far have ended without any bitterness. I'm sure they'll be fine."

"In the red corner," Yuki exclaimed, "is a strong pistol shrimp whose mother impressed the world with her shockingly high strength! Representing Switzerland and having made her way past Dragalge, it is my pleasure to re-introduce Clawitzer!"

The Swiss crowd went wild as the shrimp approached the ring with a serious look in her eyes. After all, she had been looking forward to facing Jackalu ever since she found out it would happen. There was no way she would hold back even if the dog was her friend.

As she entered the ring, she held up both arms and waved to her adoring fans. Considering how strong Jackalu was, this may very well have been her last chance to do this.

"And in the blue corner," Nori stated, "England's representative has certainly proven himself worthy of the Adair name. Despite the odds stacked against him, he still managed to dominate Fletchinder and comes to kick more tail. With speed and skills unmatched by many, Jackalu!"

The English fans cheered only to quiet down when Jackalu was actually flying toward the ring. The crowd would have been impressed, but they had no clue how he was doing this, especially with the bright sun showing only his silhouette.

"Oh my god!" Yuki exclaimed, "And for the first time in history, a member of the Adair family has the ability to fly!" as Clawitzer sighed, "No, he's using a prop."

This was soon made clear when Jackalu flapped away from the sun's gaze and everyone could see wooden wings harnessed to his arms while a string attached to a fork lift far above the area held him in place. Even so, the entrance certainly seemed graceful enough until the string snapped, Jackalu howling in panic before falling face-first into the canvas.

Machop let out a sigh and groaned, "Well, at least I'm not the only one making stupid, overblown entrances in this tournament," as Lairon chuckled and said, "Yeah, it's amazing how much Jackalu reminds me of your father."

The dog slowly rose to his feet as Clawitzer rolled her eyes and asked, "You okay, buddy?" as he nodded and replied, "Naturally. Besides, you should be more worried about yourself."

"Of course, I almost forgot who I was dealing with," the shrimp sighed before shaking her head, the two heroes making distance between themselves.

"Well, folks, this is it," Nori stated, "As such, it's time to begin the match!" before ringing the bell.

Jackalu wasted no time rushing toward Clawitzer. The shrimp narrowed her eyelids and readied herself, and once the dog was close enough, she swung her big claw toward his head. However, she was shocked when he leaned backward, avoiding damage and performing a handstand.

Clawitzer was unable to respond as she took a two-legged kick to her midsection. And it did not end there as Jackalu lifted up his feet, latching his ankles around her neck. Before the shrimp knew it, she soon found herself lifted high into the air as Jackalu planted her skull into the mat with a frankensteiner, the English fans cheering wildly.

"And Jackalu's off to an incredible start!" Yuki exclaimed, "Clawitzer seemed ready for him, but he knew exactly what she was planning and has taken full advantage of it!" Nori nodding and adding, "Jackalu has seen Clawitzer in action many times, so it only makes sense that he would know how to counter her tactics."

Once Jackalu released his hold, Clawitzer used her arms to propel herself back to her feet, saying, "Not bad, but don't think for a minute that's gonna be enough to take me down."

She then proceeded to sent her claw forward again only for Jackalu to back up. However, it seemed Clawitzer had expected this as she lowered her claw and sent her arm farther forward, tucking it under his shoulder. She then proceeded to reel him in, ramming her forehead into his as he backed up, the Swiss crowd going wild.

"And just as it seemed Jackalu was ready for another move, Clawitzer counters with a fierce headbutt," Yuki said as the shrimp used this chance to aim another strike from her claw toward Jackalu's face.

However, it seemed her headbutt had not done quite as much damage as she had hoped as Jackalu leapt up into the air, latching onto Clawitzer's arm with his legs. Her eyes widened as he placed a firm grip on the end of her claw, saying, "I have to admit, Clawitzer, I thought you were much better than this."

He then shifted his legs to the side thus forcing the shrimp to fall forward, her chin hitting the canvas. He then proceeded to pull up on her claw, adding to the pain as she winced, thinking, 'He's right. I'm so much better than this. He may know how I fight, but I also know how he fights. There's no way I'm going down this easily.'

With that in mind, she took a deep breath and lifted up her arm. The crowd gasped as they could hear her joints cracking slightly. But she ignored this as she sent said part downward, ramming Jackalu's back hard against the canvas.

This did unfortunately cause her to hit his chest spike, but she ignored the small hole this left as she noticed he was still holding onto her but was too dazed to take advantage of it. As such, she wasted no time flinging him high into the air as the Swiss fans cheered, Clawitzer leaping high into the air and thinking, 'There is one move in my mom's arsenal that I've never used. I know it would be better to save this for a villain, but there's no way I'm going to disappoint you by being predictable.'

Once she reached Jackalu's level, she wrapped her arms around his waist from the side and leaned backward, the Swiss fans ecstatic as Yuki exclaimed, "And in a shocking turn of events, Clawitzer has set up Jackalu for a backdrop from way up in the air!" Nori nodding and adding, "Yeah. That was the only grappling move her mother ever used, and it's part of the reason she's so well known, the fact that she could lift up opponents ten times her own weight with that."

And just as Clawitzer expected, seeing her use this move for the first time came as a shock to Jackalu. As such, he was unable to react as the back of his neck made contact with the canvas, his eyes and mouth wide open.

The Swiss fans gave Clawitzer a round of applause as she released her hold on Jackalu and allowed him to collapse. She then breathed heavily and turned to him, thinking, 'I know that wasn't enough to finish you off, but I hope that was enough for you to see me as a worthy opponent.'

Kelani blinked and said, "Wow, that Clawitzer is strong," as Eiko nodded and replied, "Everyone in this tournament is strong."

"Still, I have to admit, I'm kind of amazed by how into this they are," Machop stated, "They're not holding back or anything," Venipede laughing nervously as Rinko patted him on the shoulder and said, "That's true. Despite being partners, they're really trying their best."

Just as the shrimp suspected, Jackalu slowly but surely rose back to his feet and breathed heavily, a grin on his face as he said, "I have to admit, that really threw me off guard. That's the Clawitzer I expected to face today."

The shrimp nodded as she felt a lot more confident, striking a fighting pose as the two circled one-another. After a few seconds, Clawitzer leapt toward Jackalu with her claw at the ready. The dog was more than prepared for this as he held up his paws with his wrists pointed toward the part.

But just as it looked like Clawitzer would be pierced, it seemed she saw this coming as she lifted her arm up, allowing her torso to fly into the spikes instead. The crowd gasped as Jackalu smirked only for his tune to change when the shrimp ignored the pain dealt by this and shouted, "CRABHAMMER!" ramming her claw hard into his skull.

The Swiss fans went wild as Jackalu coughed up a bit of blood. But even so, he refused to let this get to him as he smirked and said, "That's the second time you let yourself get hurt so you could deal more pain to me. But as impressive as that is, it's nothing an awesome guy like me can't endure."

Clawitzer would have rolled her eyes at this had Lucario not leapt backwards with his spikes still planted into her. He then leaned back and shouted, "SPIKE HAMMERLOCK!" the English fans going wild as Clawitzer's back made contact with the canvas, her eyes wide open as a small bit of blood escaped from her mouth.

"Damn," Vigoroth uttered, "Just when you think one of them could win, it immediately turns in the other's favour," as Meloetta nodded and said, "I have to admit, I think I'm starting to see why people find this so entertaining now. You never know what's gonna happen, and since these matches are between heroes, no lives are at stake, so people can just have fun and not feel like they're being threatened."

"Yeah, that's definitely a big part of it," Garchomp replied with a grin as Lairon folded his arms and said, "Still, wouldn't it be amazing if Jackalu lost? While his family isn't exactly unfamiliar with failure, his grandpa and father always at least made it to the finals whenever they fought in the Olympics."

Clawitzer tried her hardest to get up only for Jackalu to flip her over and latch onto her wrists before binding her ankles in place with his, saying, "Sorry, but I'm not letting you recover that easily."

He then proceeded to pull hard before forming what looked like a wheel and rolling backward thus switching their positions so his back was against the canvas with Clawitzer's belly facing the sky. He then proceeded to bend his body forward thus switching to a bridge formation, bringing the shrimp close to his chest spike and shouting, "LONDON BRIDGE!"

The English fans were ecstatic as Nori exclaimed, "There's a move we haven't seen in ages! This used to be the main move that Lucario would always use to finish his opponents off!" Yuki asking, "So why did he stop?"

"I can fill you in on that," Beedrill replied with an implied smile, "When he fought in the twenty-second Olympic finals, the move was defeated when Machoke found a way out of it. From that moment on, it went on record that he never used it again. Even allowed his chest spike to be chopped off because he didn't need it anymore."

'That's right!' Clawitzer thought as her eyes widened, 'Machoke found a way out of this hold, and I remember it! Yes, I can do this!'

With that in mind, she started to wriggle her legs as everyone stared in wonder. And soon enough, she managed to pry them out before planting them into Jackalu's gut, his eyes wide open as she propelled herself off of him and rose her claw in the air, shouting, "CRABHAMMER!"

But just as she was about to ram her claw into the dog for the second time, he immediately rolled out of the way thus causing her to hit the canvas instead. She gasped in shock as Jackalu formed an aura around his paw, shouting, "FORCE PALM!" and sending it hard into her cheek.

The English fans went wild as Yuki stated, "And even after escaping from Jackalu's ultimate submission technique, Clawitzer still has the disadvantage as she takes in the mighty Force Palm."

And it did not end there as Jackalu wrapped his arms around the shrimp, saying, "You've been a great opponent so far, but I have no intention of letting you win. I hope you understand," before leaping high into the air and resting her atop his shoulder.

Once high enough, he leaned backward and aimed the back of her neck toward the canvas, shouting, "FULL MOON PRESS!" but just as he descended, Clawitzer refused to let herself take in another family signature move.

As such, she proceeded to throw her arms over her head before allowing them to fall backwards. Thus her claws wound up hitting the mat as opposed to her head, the crowd gasping as Yuki exclaimed, "And it would seem another family favourite has been defeated!"

Rinko blinked and asked, "That's the legendary Full Moon Press? That looked pretty easy to counter, if you ask me," as Lairon shook his head and said, "Actually, many have thought of using that method for years. The problem is that whenever someone used it, they descended too quickly for the opponent to think straight. Clawitzer seems to be the only one to keep her nerves in check long enough to put the countermeasure into motion."

Jackalu blinked, his eyes wide with shock as Clawitzer proceeded to lean her big claw back, taking hold of the dog's ankle. She then pulled back hard enough to cause him to not only release his hold on her but also fall forward, his chin hitting the canvas while the Swiss crowd went wild.

It did not end there as Clawitzer wrapped her legs around Jackalu's torso, pulling on his leg as the cheers grew louder, Yuki exclaiming, "And after her impressive manoeuvre, Clawitzer has caught Jackalu in a leglock! Not only that, but by applying extra pressure to his torso, she's dealing pain to more than just his leg!"

Jackalu was truly astounded. As if her using a backdrop earlier was not surprising enough, seeing her use a submission hold was another thing in itself. Not only had she never used such a technique before, but even her mother never relied on these as she considered herself too short to effectively pull them off.

"My god, you really are taking this match seriously," Jackalu uttered as Clawitzer asked, "Were you doubting me before?"

"Well, not entirely," the dog replied, "I knew you were trying your best, but to think you'd actually try using moves that I've never seen from you before. It just means so much that you consider me worth it."

No one else knew how to respond to such strange words, but this seemed to mean a lot to Clawitzer as she smiled and said, "Hey, I might make fun of you a lot, but honestly, I've always seen you as an amazing fighter. You may get headstrong sometimes and, heck, you're the only graduate I know who didn't actually have to go to classes before taking your final exam."

Rinko and Venipede turned to one-another and sighed, "Knew it," as the shrimp continued, "You're even full of yourself sometimes and you don't always take things seriously, but not only does that make you fun but you always pull through in the end. I have never once seen you lose a match. I often joke about your skills, but honestly, I sometimes wonder if I'm worthy of fighting alongside you. When I saw that I had a chance to face you, I saw that as an opportunity to prove just that."

Jackalu's eyes sparkled as she tightened her hold. Remembering the match was still going on, he smirked and said, "Well, I've always believed that you were worthy of fighting by my side, but that doesn't mean I'm gonna submit, at least not yet."

With that, he placed his paws firmly against the mat and pushed himself up, Clawitzer's eyes wide as she knew this was likely causing him more pain. But even so, it was against Jackalu's nature to give up and thus he used this opportunity to lower his body, this time slamming the shrimp's back into the canvas.

This was enough to get her to let go as he rose to his feet, the English fans going wild as Machop uttered, "Wow, this match just keeps going back and forth," as Isamu uttered, "So wait, he was lying when he told us he took the same classes as Gyarados?"

With Clawitzer distracted, Jackalu used this chance as he took hold of her shoulders, leaping high above mat. Nori's eyes sparkled as Yuki asked, "Hey, Mom, what's he doing?" as Beedrill shared the older woman's look.

Once high enough, Jackalu flipped Clawitzer so she was right under him with her head facing the canvas. He then planted his knees against her feet and said, "If anything, I feel that using my grandfather's best technique is the best way to end this. You did a great job, Clawitzer."

He then started to descend toward the mat, shouting, "COLLAPSING TOWER!" the English fans going wild as even the Swiss fans were strangely excited to see this, the very move that ended Machoke's winning streak.

However, Clawitzer was not the least bit scared as she asked, "Haven't you heard? Your father created a way to counter this technique when a villain by the name of Absol used it on him. And what's more is that he shared that method with both of us when telling us that story."

All went silent among the crowd and even the announcers. This was the first they had ever heard of this, and their interest grew when Clawitzer flipped her body upward so she was facing the dog. She then proceeded to hold up her left arm, shouting, "CRUSTACEAN LANCE!" before planting her claw into his gut, causing him to cough up a bit of blood.

The Swiss fans went wild as now Jackalu had no idea what to do. It was like Clawitzer had told herself before the match. Due to her big claw being so much stronger, she had always relied on that one for her attacks, never even thinking to use her smaller one. As such, the fact that she had used it was more than enough to catch the dog off guard.

With that, she used her big claw to latch onto Jackalu's arm, the dog crying out in pain as she said, "Well, if you're not holding back, there's no way in Hell I'm going to."

She then proceeded to lean backwards until both their heads were facing the canvas, Jackalu's slightly lower as Clawitzer's smaller claw was still pressed up against him. Excitement rose among the crowd as the shrimp shouted, "VICE LANCE SUPLEX!" ramming the dog's skull hard into the canvas.

The crowd stared in shock and amazement as Clawitzer released her hold, allowing the dog to collapse. Yuki started the ten count as no one could believe this. Could it be? Had Jackalu lost before making it to the finals?

Clawitzer breathed heavily and stared, thinking, 'Alright, if this isn't good enough, I don't know what else I can do. This will decide which of us truly is the better fighter.'

Shockingly, Yuki managed to make it to ten seconds as she rang the bell, exclaiming, "And after a very brutal and intense match, Clawitzer is our winner and has advanced to the semi-finals!" the Swiss fans going wild as even the English fans could not help but give her a round of applause. After all, they could not bring themselves to feel bitter toward Jackalu's ally.

The dog slowly opened his eyes and grinned as Clawitzer gasped, "Are you okay?"

The dog nodded and replied, "Of course I am. But there is something that'll help me feel better."

"What is it?" the shrimp asked, "Tell me and I'll do it," Jackalu coughing a bit before uttering, "Do a victory dance."

"Wait, what?" Clawitzer remarked as Jackalu weakly explained, "You just bested me, so you should do a victory dance. Just think of something you really like and make up a jingle about it or something."

"What do you think they're talking about?" Vigoroth asked as Meloetta smiled sweetly and said, "I bet they're just talking about how they'll always be friends even after all of this," Machop nodding and adding, "Hey, it happens to me all the time."

Of course, they could not have been more off the mark as Clawitzer uttered, "Look, that works for you, but-" Jackalu chuckling, "Come on. I know deep down, you've always wanted to do it. Today's the day you forget how embarrassing it'll look and just go for it."

With that in mind, Clawitzer let out a sigh and said in a louder tone, "Alright, Jackalu, I will do this for your sake," everyone interested until she pulled out a packet of seaweed and held it up to her mouth like a microphone.

She then performed a dance number and sang, "When I feel hungry, seaweed is the best! It's dry and salty, truly better than the rest! When I eat some seaweed, it makes me feel strong! Ah-aaaah-ah-ah-oh-aaah! Seaweed!"

Everyone stared in stunned silence until Isamu uttered, "A thousand yen says they end up together by the end of the story," Eiko replying, "I don't think anyone's gonna bet against you."

"That was wonderful," Jackalu said with a big grin before coughing a bit and sighing, "Anyway, I need to take a quick nap," his eyes closing as he started to snore, his tongue sticking out the side of his head.

Clawitzer's eyes widened as she gasped, "Dammit! I applied too much force, didn't I!?" as medics rushed in to take the dog to the hospital.

The shrimp would have joined if not for the fact that unlike during round one, she felt obligated to see Slurpuff's next match. After all, she would have to fight the winner and if she did not know how either of these two fought, she would likely have a lot of trouble. It also did not help that Jackalu was the one who had wanted so badly to put Slurpuff in his place, so at the very least, Clawitzer had to honour his desire by defeating the cake dog in his stead.

"Well, folks, it's almost time for this round to come to an end," Beedrill stated, "Our final match for the day will take place in the Tokyo National Museum. Luckily, they've allowed us to use the golden ring exhibit for this one, though it was hard finding enough space for bleachers, but we pulled it off without breaking anything."

The crowd shrugged and rose up, ready to head off to the next area as Rinko turned to Delphox, who had been seated far in the back and waved to her. The fox turned to the brunette to see her giving a thumb up, a light smile forming on her face as she returned the gesture. There was no way she would fall to Slurpuff.


	58. Chapter 58

By the time everyone arrived at the museum, the final match of the day was still an hour-and-a-half away. As such, everyone decided to explore as Kelani looked at all of the exhibits with his eyes sparkling, a big open-mouth smile on his face.

"Wow, this is so cool," he said as Eiko giggled and replied, "Well, I'm glad you're having fun."

Isamu, meanwhile, walked alongside Machop in a separate area and sighed, "I really wish this wasn't the only thing to do here. At least the other areas gave us something fun to do before the matches started," as the girl nodded and groaned, "Tell me about it. Of all the places they could have picked."

The boy shot her a smile and replied, "Well, look on the bright side. At least we can suffer the boredom together," as Machop nodded and rested her head on his shoulder, cooing, "So this is what using a shoulder like a pillow feels like. That's nice. I think I'll spend the next-" only to fall asleep as Isamu rolled his eyes and plopped down on the floor against a wall with her.

Venipede and Rinko, on the other hand, were actually enjoying themselves. As it so happened, they liked museums, so this was the perfect place for them to go on a short date. And as they looked around, they noticed a room labelled 'The Hall of Heroes'.

Venipede's eyes sparkled as he said, "Oh my god, this is where all of the heroes of old are represented," as Rinko grinned and squealed, "I wanna see just how awesome Mother's statue looks!"

And sure enough, inside the museum were all sorts of things, and not just statues of the heroes of past generations. Some of these heroes had donated old possessions of theirs, and one such item included Lucario's chest spike, which had been sliced off by Absol when the two fought in the Reverse World.

There were a few other things, such as Lairon's old helmet, which resembled a skull. Of course, the helmet was not complete as Garchomp had cracked it in half with her dorsal fin many years ago. The owners had asked Lairon if he wanted them to put it back together, but he decided keeping it split apart would help reserve the memory of that wonderful time when the dragon turned his life around.

Though one thing Venipede was shocked to see was a golden mask, specifically the one worn by a powerful dragon named Giratina. He trembled and uttered, "What's this doing here? I thought this wasn't allowed to be shown to the public anymore."

"Oh no," Rinko replied, "See, that was back when the mask had the power to revive its owner. Now that Giratina's been brought back, it's no longer a bad thing if someone tries to steal it."

Venipede breathed a sigh of relief as an elderly man entered the area, saying, "Even if it could bring back Giratina, it doesn't work without his neck rings, and, well, Giratina brought those with him when he left Earth," the centipede's eyes wide with shock as Rinko stared awkwardly, the man sighing, "Don't mind me. I'm just the janitor."

"Wait, tell us more!" Venipede pleaded, his eyes sparkling as Rinko chuckled and said, "Oh my god, you are adorable."

Even so, she had to admit that she was also quite curious as the man shrugged and replied, "Sure, why not? I think it's time for my fifteen-minute anyway."

Meanwhile, Meloetta was looking around at all the exhibits as she sighed, "Guess Mommy never got anything dedicated to her, did she?" as Vigoroth patted her on the shoulder and replied, "That's the thing. These sorts of places only pay tribute to those who were very well known. Just think, had she been the one to successfully bridge the gap between us and the humans, she would have a statue in her honour for sure."

The green-haired girl nodded before noticing the boy she had agreed to go out with earlier looking at the statue of a naked woman. She then gasped as Vigoroth nodded and pointed at him.

With that in mind, Meloetta approached him and tapped him on the shoulder, the boy turning and saying, "Oh, hey there, sweet thing. You excited for our date tomorrow?"

The green-haired girl wasted no time asking for all the information Vigoroth had told her to get, such as his interests, where to meet up with him and most importantly, his name. And needless to say, the sloth was glad to see her having taken her words to heart, but even so, there was still the matter of her making sure the date went smoothly.

Clawitzer, meanwhile, felt strange walking around without Jackalu. Not that she had never had days like this, but ever since the Olympics started up, they had always done everything as a pair. It felt weird having him in the hospital and as much as she wanted to check up on him to make sure she had not hurt him too much, she knew she had to watch the next match to see what kind of opponent she would be up against.

While walking, though, she noticed Slurpuff looking at a painting of a soup can and saying, "They should make a painting of a strawberry shortcake. Soup is boring."

The shrimp narrowed her eyelids as he turned and spotted her, smiling wide and squealing, "Hello!"

"Cut the crap," Clawitzer retorted, "I just want to let you know that if you win today's match, I'm gonna wipe that overly-cutesy look off your face in the semi-finals."

"Aw, you don't need to be so mean," Slurpuff replied, "Let's be friends," before holding out his pudgy arm. Clawitzer could not help but feel intimidated by this as she slowly backed away from him, a sinister look forming on the cake dog's face.

But just as his hair started to move, a group of teenaged girls entered the area before spying him. Hearts formed in their eyes as they ran over, squealing, "OH MY GOD, IT'S SLURPUFF!" all of them gathering around him and asking for his autograph and for him to take selfies with them.

Clawitzer wanted so badly to tell the girls what she had just witnessed, but she knew that if she did, they would not believe her and treat her like they had treated Torchic during her match. If things turned out like she imagined they would, she would save all quarrels for the ring. After all, it was against the rules for participants to attack each other outside of an official tournament match.

But at the same time, she really hoped Delphox could win. Slurpuff had already given off bad vibes before, but now there was no doubt he was nowhere near as innocent as he let on. For all she knew, this could have very well been a similar case to every tournament Machoke partook in.

Meanwhile, the janitor was still telling Venipede and Rinko about Giratina's revival and Machoke's fight with him. However, as fascinating as it was, there was one detail in the story that confused them.

"So wait, if the mask was shattered, why doesn't it look cracked?" the centipede asked as the man replied, "Well, we wanted the mask to be presented as it originally was, so the owners had someone meld the pieces back together. They did a really good job. You can't even tell it was once broken."

"But wait, what if Giratina returns?" Rinko asked, "Won't he at least want his mask back?" as the man shook his head and replied, "Oh no. As it so happens, Giratina's not on the side of evil anymore. In fact, he's currently the king of Mars."

"Wait, so he enslaved a different planet?" Venipede remarked with his eyes wide open as the man shook his head and remarked, "Oh no. Turns out their queen really took a shining to him, and I guess it makes sense. Every resident of Mars is a dragon."

The centipede and brunette turned to one-another with confusion before shrugging their shoulders. After all, this was at least good news as Giratina did have a reputation as one of the biggest threats to mankind in history, even with his age having weakened him.

"So, does he know his mask is here?" Rinko asked as the man replied, "Oh yeah. When astronauts found him, they asked him if he wanted it back to which he said he didn't need it anymore. In short, we got nothing to worry about."

Venipede blinked and uttered, "I guess it wouldn't be so scary to meet him for real, then," as Rinko shrugged and replied, "Honestly, I'm just surprised to hear that he's still alive."

With all said and done, the two turned to a clock to notice they only had a half-hour before the match started. Thus they decided to resume their walk, waving to the janitor who grinned and waved back, saying, "By the way, Venipede, my granddaughter is a huge fan of yours."

The centipede's cheeks turned bright pink as Rinko smirked and nudged his side, saying, "Well, look at Mister Popular."

Once they arrived, everyone else was already there and had saved them seats. Machop, all the while, grinned and asked, "So, what kept you? Did you sneak off for a little fun?" steam shooting from Venipede as Rinko sighed, "Please, we're not that kind of couple."

Kelani, meanwhile, grinned and squealed, "This has been the best day ever! First I went to the beach then I had a picnic lunch and now I've been to the museum!" as Isamu whispered, "Good job toughing it out, Eiko. I know you hate coming here as much as we do."

The pink-haired girl nodded and sighed, "I know, but I gotta fake it for the kid, you know," the boy nodding as Machop said, "Just think, if she actually has a child of her own, she'd probably make for a really good mother."

"Alright, ladies and gentlemen, it's finally time for the match to decide the lineup for the semi-finals!" Beedrill exclaimed, "This has been a very exciting second round so far, but for all we know, this could very well be the most exciting match!"

"In the red corner," Yuki stated, "is our adorable Turkish representative who has proven himself much stronger than he looks. Able to take in as much pain as he can dish out, Slurpuff!"

The Turkish and Japanese fans went wild as Slurpuff road in on a tiny pink float with roses made of frosting on the sides. One member of the crowd cooed, "Oh my god, that's so cute," as another sighed, "I should hire him for my daughter's birthday party."

Yuki laughed nervously and whispered, "You're sure they won't throw another can at me?" as Nori sighed, "You know how fickle fight fans can be. You get used to this sort of thing after a while."

The younger woman let out a sigh as Slurpuff activated a spring that launched him into the air. However, he seemed to purposely lose his balance as he fell on his back, squealing, "Oopsie! I fell down again!" the area filling up with cheers and applause.

"Oh god, this is already getting old," Machop groaned as Isamu sighed, "I know. Seriously, he's not even that cute."

Meloetta folded her arms and grumbled, "I just don't like the way he used that as a weapon against Torchic. He should have fought more fairly against her instead of using his appearance to turn people against her."

"Wow, you actually picked up on that," Vigoroth uttered as Kelani nodded and growled, "I don't like him, not one bit."

The crowd soon calmed down as Yuki stated, "In the blue corner, representing Germany is one of the few heroes to master the art of magic. Having defeated Shuckle, even with the odds stacked heavily against her, Delphox!"

The German fans went wild as the fox walked toward the ring with a small fireball circling her. She then spread out her arms as it floated behind her back and spun around, creating a big ring.

Seeing this, Rinko clapped and exclaimed, "YEAH, SHOW HIM WHO'S BOSS!" Venipede joining in as the fox turned to face them with a light smile. It still felt weird having made actual friends, but she liked their support all the same.

Once Delphox entered the ring, Slurpuff gave her the cutest smile and waved, saying, "Hi, Miss Fox Lady. You're really pretty."

The fox scowled at him and thought, 'Don't think for a minute that cute act will work on me. I know exactly what you're doing. You act like an innocent child so the crowd will favour you. You turn my own supporters against me in the hopes that it'll throw me off. But mark my words, I am not like Torchic. I can handle a lack of support. What I can't stand is someone who can't earn his own victories with his skills alone. You don't deserve to partake in round two and I'm going to prove it.'

She already noticed a few members of the German crowd whispering amongst themselves. She did not even have to hear them to know that this was a response to the face she made. After all, Slurpuff's words sounded like nothing more than an innocent compliment.

Even so, she refused to let this get to her as Yuki said, "Alright, the combatants are set. Let's do this," ringing the bell thus signalling the start of the match.

Delphox wasted no time forming a circle of flames in front of herself while shouting, "MYSTICAL FIRE!"

She then threw her arms forward as the flames flew toward Slurpuff in a spiral formation. Seeing this coming, the cake dog prepared his hair to counter only for Delphox to add to the fire's speed. And it was not long until he found himself engulfed in flames, now sporting a look of discontent while flailing his arms around while the crowd gasped.

"And Delphox wastes no time hitting Slurpuff with her pyrokinesis!" Yuki exclaimed as the audience looked horrified. Even the German fans found this to be too cruel despite having no problem watching Shuckle succumb to this same move.

Luckily, the fox had expected this and thus chose to ignore it as she thought, 'He's not fighting back. I knew it. He took that hit on purpose, thinking I would let up after seeing the crowd's reaction. Too bad for you, little Slurpuff, but I'm not so easy to crack.'

With that in mind, she allowed her magic to hit him for a bit longer, figuring he must have been in too much pain to react to another attack. As such, she ended her assault and shot fire from her feet, flying toward him with her arms crossed and shouting, "FOX FIRE ROCKET!"

However, it seemed her plan had failed as no sooner had she stopped her attack did the flames vanish. As if that was not enough, there was not so much as one burn mark on Slurpuff as he wasted no time sending his hair toward her, wrapping it around her and using enough force to stop her flight.

Delphox was mortified now as Slurpuff smiled and said, "That was really cool, Miss Fox Lady, but fire doesn't effect me for very long. I've been burned countless times when trying to cook, but I always end up okie-dokie, see?"

Hearing these words, the crowd went wild as Delphox thought, 'Oh no! That means I can't rely on long-range attacks!'

Unfortunately, further thoughts on the matter would have to wait as Slurpuff threw his head backwards, lifting Delphox high into the air before stretching up the top of his hair and wrapping it around her neck. He then leapt up to her level before leaning backwards as Rinko spat, "HEY, DELPHOX, HE USED THIS ON TORCHIC! SURELY YOU FOUND A WAY OUT OF IT!"

Delphox unfortunately only had one method in mind as she conjured up a fireball with her finger. She then sent it sideways into Slurpuff's side, but just like her stream of fire earlier, all this did was hurt him a little bit, not even leaving so much as a small burn on his flesh.

As such, Delphox soon found her skull planted hard into the canvas as Slurpuff squealed, "FROSTING MALLET!" the Turkish crowd going wild. And just like when he fought Torchic, it was not long until everyone else, including the German fans, joined in.

"Damn," Lairon grunted, "That Slurpuff is even tougher than I thought. Delphox made the right choice by ignoring the crowd's reaction, but she's barely done a thing to him so far."

Rinko gritted her teeth and asked, "Well, is there anything she can do?" as Garchomp nodded and replied, "Yes. She'll have to rely on close-range attacks, but that's easier said than done. As we've seen so far, including this very match, Slurpuff has a ton of abilities that make it difficult to come close to him, and it's all thanks to his hair."

Even so, Delphox was not going to let this get her down as she shifted her hands downward, shooting flames from them in order to lift her head up from the material. She then took a deep breath and exclaimed, "FOX FIRE ROCKET LANDING!"

Slurpuff was unable to respond this time as her feet flew into his back, causing him to fall on his face as the crowd started booing her. And just like before, the fox ignored these words, realizing she could not allow the cake dog to recover. Thus she wasted no time propelling herself into the air by shooting fire from her heels. And once she was high enough, she proceeded to descend toward Slurpuff, planting her feet into his gut as he cried out in pain, his tongue sticking out the side of his mouth.

"Screw the audience," Rinko grunted, "THAT'S RIGHT, DELPHOX! LET HIM HAVE IT!" as the others joined in with their own cheers. They did not even care about the cold looks they received as a result. All that mattered to them was that Delphox had finally managed to hurt Slurpuff.

Just as Delphox charged at him with her arm set for a karate chop, Slurpuff sent his hair forward while panting heavily, having it come together to form what looked like a wall of frosting. As such, the fox's hand wound up stuck as her eyes widened in horror. After all, she could not forget what happened to Torchic when she was in this same predicament.

To make matters worse, she could not think of any method that could help her escape as Slurpuff lifted her high above his head. He then proceeded to leap into the air and swing his head downward, shouting, "FROSTING WHACK-A-MOLE!" ramming the fox hard into the canvas.

However, it seemed he was not done as he lifted her up against, slamming her into the mat a second time. Delphox grunted in pain and gritted her teeth as Slurpuff released his hold, squealing, "I just came up with that!" bouncing up and down as the audience gave him a round of applause, a girl in the audience shouting, "He's so creative! If I was a teacher, I'd give him a gold star!"

"I am a teacher and I'm tempted to give him one," a man stated with a big smile as Isamu growled, "Are you kidding me? That's not even creative by kindergarten standards!"

"I'm just glad Delphox can still fight," Meloetta whimpered as the fox slowly pushed herself back up, breathing heavily with a look of fury in her eyes. As if taking in all this pain was not bad enough, to take in a thrashing from something people normally put on dessert was just humiliating.

Despite this, though, she refused to let this get her down as she struck a fighting pose, gazing into Slurpuff's eyes. By the end of this match, she just knew that she would have found a way around his tactics, despite how unpredictable and childish his fighting style was.


	59. Chapter 59

Delphox was not only hurting, but she was irritated. Slurpuff had been dominating this match for the most part and acted like none of it really mattered. There was no way she would fall to someone like this. As such, she shot flames from her heels and hovered in place with a look of anger on her face, growling, "You've had your fun, but this ends now."

She then flew toward Slurpuff with her arms crossed and exclaimed, "FOX FIRE ROCKET!" only for Slurpuff to giggle and shoot his hair forward, squealing, "I already know how to avoid this!"

But just as it seemed like he would stop her flight for the second time in this match, she saw this coming as she pointed her hands toward the mat, shooting flames from her palms. This allowed her to fly over the hair before lowering herself just in time to deliver a hard strike to the cake dog's forehead.

Once again, the crowd booed her as Slurpuff fell on his back. However, Machop and the others were more than supportive of this as Kelani squealed, "YAY! SHE DID IT!" Eiko nodding and squealing, "Yes, she did, didn't she!?"

Of course, everyone knew this was far from over as Delphox performed a U-turn and pressed her hands together like a spearhead. She then dove toward Slurpuff while shouting, "FOX FIRE MISSILE!"

But just as she was seconds away from dealing another hit, Slurpuff recovered just in time to point his skull toward her, squealing, "CHERRY BOMB!"

He then launched his cherry upward and into her forehead as her eyes widened, her mouth slightly open. As such, she broke her concentration as her fire stopped and her arms were now spread out.

The reason she had not yet landed on Slurpuff, though, was because after launching his cherry, he had used his hair to bind her wrists in place. And it did not end there as he lifted her higher up before turning his hair around in an arch, shifting it in a way that guaranteed Delphox's head would still be facing downward. And all the while, she was too distracted to respond as her head hit the canvas hard.

The crowd went wild as Yuki said, "And just as it seemed like Delphox had him, Slurpuff responds with his Cherry Bomb before using what I can only describe as a really complex suplex. Can she get up again, folks?"

Seeing this, the others could not help but feel concern as Clawitzer narrowed her eyelids, thinking, 'Yes, just keep revealing more abilities. Once our match comes, I'll wipe that silly look off your face.'

Slurpuff bounced happily and squealed, "This is so much fun! I just wish it didn't have to end so soon!" as Delphox growled, "Wish granted!"

The crowd gasped as she placed her hands against the mat, pushing herself up. But she did not leave it there as she flung herself toward the cake dog with her feet out. Slurpuff blinked and was just about to counter only for Delphox to once again speed up her flight by shooting fire from her palms, kicking him hard in the face, this time causing him to cough up a bit of his jam-like blood, leaping away from him and breathing heavily.

At that moment, one German fan blinked and uttered, "Oh mein Gott, was I cheering for Slurpuff this whole time?" another groaning, "Ja. I did too."

Delphox noticed this and thought, 'It's just like when Torchic fought him in round one. The minute she started to really dominate, her fans came back to her side. That must be the secret. Once blood is drawn, he looks less cute and thus the crowd isn't as likely to fall for his charms.'

With that in mind, she performed a sideways somersault toward the cake dog, propelling herself high into the air before planting her paws into his gut. This caused him to cough up a bit more blood as he squeaked in panic, rolling backward and righting himself up.

The German fans went wild as one spat, "Sorry for not cheering you on earlier, Delphox!" another adding, "Kick his ass!" all of them chanting her name now as she let down light tears, thinking, 'So that's what it's like. Now I can see why it was such a big deal to Torchic. Being loved by others is actually quite nice.'

Slurpuff noticed this and beamed, squealing, "Wow, Miss Fox Lady, you're really, really strong!" as Delphox narrowed her eyelids, the Tokyo and Turkish fans letting out a collective heavenly sigh with hearts in their eyes.

"Well, at least she has some support from the others now," Machop uttered as Garchomp sighed, "That hardly matters, though. What's important is that she's finally gotten the upper hand in this match. Slurpuff can only keep up a positive attitude for so long."

Delphox realized this as well and thus refused to give the cake dog a chance to get the advantage back. As such, she wasted no time racing toward him as he sent his hair forward. And at this point, the fox saw it coming as she leapt over it, spinning toward him with her arms up and landing a powerful karate chop to his cheek.

The German fans cheered even more as Delphox proceeded to strike Slurpuff with an onslaught of palm punches. However, she ended her attack when she noticed him attempt to grab her with his hair once more. Thus she leapt back just in time to avoid it, the cake dog growling briefly before remembering he had to keep up an image for the crowd. Therefor he lowered the volume of his growl before making his angry face appear more like he was forcing it with a big smile and narrowed eyes, his arms held out and downward to imply lashing out claws.

"Even when trying to be threatening, he's adorable!" came one girl in the crowd as another squealed, "I just wanna go in there and cuddle him and squeeze him and love him and maybe even call him Goro!"

The girl received a few awkward stares, but it was not long until those around her agreed with what she had said. After all, they could not ignore Slurpuff for long.

"At least make it look like you're taking this seriously!" Delphox growled as she dashed toward Slurpuff. But just as he was about to counter, she swerved to the right, preparing to strike him on the side. However, her attack came to a halt when unlike before, the cake dog saw this coming and thus he stretched out his hair just far enough to stop her in her tracks.

And sure enough, the fox was now trapped in his hair as he wrapped it around her, giggling and squealing, "This is fun!" before lifting her up and flipping her upside-down.

He then proceeded to squeak, "FROSTING WHACK-A-MOLE!" before slamming her skull repeatedly into the canvas. And after taking in seven blows, Delphox coughed up blood with her eyes and mouth wide open.

The Turkish and Japanese fans all cheered wildly as Rinko gritted her teeth, growling, "Dammit! She was doing such a good job!" as Vigoroth sighed, "Hey, you guys have gotten out of all kinds of situations. I'm sure she can handle this."

However, it was looking less likely by the second as Delphox continued to take in one head-blow after the next. But just as she took in the eighteenth, she gritted her teeth and thought, 'No! I can't let this deceitful pastry win! There's one thing I can try, but I've never gotten it to work.'

She remembered back when she was eight. Her mother, a more slender yellow fox named Braixen, had taught her all about her magical powers while standing in a clear field. Needless to say, she was impressed by how much her daughter had mastered in such a short amount of time as she had already mastered the Mystical Fire.

"Sehr gut," the older fox said with a grin, "You are more than ready to face evil when it returns, but there is one last technique that you must learn."

Delphox nodded with a serious look and replied, "I am ready," as Braixen smiled lightly and added, "Just to let you know, this is the most difficult move for our family. I wasn't able to learn it until I was thirteen, but then again, I mastered the rest of our family's magic at the age of twelve. I have no doubt that you are ready for this."

With that in mind, the fox breathed deep before saying in a calm tone, "Mystical Fox Flamethrower," releasing a brilliant flame from her mouth. Delphox's eyes sparkled briefly as Braixen smiled and said, "You try. Just breathe in and concentrate."

The younger fox nodded and took a deep breath before closing her mouth. Her cheeks then puffed up slightly as she said, "Mystical Fox Flamethrower," but as she blew, all that came out was the same air she had inhaled.

She looked beyond disappointed until Braixen smiled and stated, "Don't let it get you down. As I said, it took me a long time to get it as well. Just keep practising and you'll get it someday, I know it."

Back in present time, Delphox had taken in the twenty-ninth blow to her head as she thought, 'I've tried so hard since that day and gotten no results, but this time, I can't afford to fail!'

With that in mind, she took in a deep breath as Slurpuff squeaked, "This next one should be good enough," Nori groaning, "And Delphox is just a sitting duck. This next hit might very well end it."

"COME ON!" Rinko snapped, "YOU CAN DO IT!" only for Venipede to tap her on the shoulder, saying, "I think she might have something planned. Look."

It was not long until all of his friends noticed Delphox pointing her mouth toward the canvas with her cheeks puffed up. She then proceeded to shout through gritted teeth, "MYSTICAL FOX FLAMETHROWER!" as she opened her mouth wide, unleashing a big blast of fire, Slurpuff unable to lower her further now as he used all his might to try and overcome this.

But not only had Delphox's fire stopped her from hitting the mat, it had given her enough of a boost to free herself from Slurpuff's grip. She then lifted up her leg and lit it on fire, spinning sideways toward the cake dog and shouting, "FALLING WHEEL!" planting her foot into his skull.

The German fans went wild as Yuki exclaimed, "And just as it seemed like this was the end, Delphox has used her pyrokinesis to break free from Slurpuff's frosting! Up until now, I thought for sure that was impossible!"

However, Delphox found herself coughing slightly before thinking, 'Well, I finally got it down, Mom, but I might not rely on it too much,' sending her other foot into the same spot she had just kicked thus knocking Slurpuff on his back.

"Yay, Delphox!" Kelani squealed as Eiko and Isamu joined her, Machop sighing with relief as Lairon said, "You know, I was starting to wonder if she knew that technique. That's a great power that's been passed down in her family for generations."

"Come to think of it, I was wondering why she hadn't used it yet," Garchomp replied as Meloetta squealed, "I don't care! She's winning!"

The others gave the green-haired girl an awkward stare but chose to ignore this. After all, now was certainly a time to cheer as Slurpuff had been outdone once more.

Delphox refused to let him recover again and thus proceeded to send an onslaught of palm punches into his chest. While she did so, many members of the Turkish crowd booed as one shouted, "You should be ashamed!"

"Die klappe halten!" a German audience member snapped, "This is a match, not a game!" as another added, "What is wrong with you people!? You act like she's breaking the rules or something!"

"Thank you!" Yuki exclaimed as Nori sighed, patting her on the shoulder and saying, "Let it go, Yuki. It only happened once."

Regardless, Delphox was just happy to have some support from the crowd as she cupped her hands together for what looked like a strengthened karate chop. She then lifted them up and lit them on fire, thinking, 'I know the fire doesn't add much, but it just feels right to finish you like this.'

With that, she sent her hands toward Slurpuff only for him to recover just in time to whip his hair forward, combining both sides thus forming a shield in front of his face. And sure enough, when Delphox's hands made contact, they were stuck in the frosting as she gasped, her eyes and mouth wide with terror.

A wicked smile briefly formed on Slurpuff's face, but he quickly dropped it as he squeaked, "Wow, you're awesome sauce, Miss Fox Lady! But I've had enough fun, so I think it's time to end this!"

Delphox did her best to break free, but she found herself unable to do so as Slurpuff rose her high into the air. He then spread his hair out further, wrapping it around her entire torso as if he had bound her in a sheet of taffy.

'Nein,' the fox thought with fear in her eyes. She had spent so long trying not to panic during combat and yet right now, she could no longer think about such things.

She tried shooting fire from her feet, but Slurpuff's grip on her was too strong. She could have tried conjuring up more fire with her hands, but they were current covered in frosting, thus she could not even move them. And after a few seconds, she stopped trying and breathed heavily, the German fans, Rinko and Venipede watching with concern.

With the fox no longer able to do a thing, Slurpuff leapt up to her level and placed his stubby arms against her waist. He then proceeded to lean backward, shouting, "PIG IN A BLANKET BACKDROP!"

Delphox braced herself as her skull hit the mat hard, a bit of blood escaping through her clenched teeth. Thus her eyes rolled to the back of her head as Slurpuff released her and allowed her to collapse, Yuki immediately starting the ten count.

"COME ON, GET UP!" Rinko snapped as the German fans joined in. However, the Japanese and Turkish fans all had big smiles on their faces with hearts in their eyes, really hoping this was it.

And soon enough, Yuki reached ten seconds and rang the bell, exclaiming, "Despite Delphox pulling out all the stops, Slurpuff is our winner and has advanced to the semi-finals!" the majority of the crowd going wild, their hearts having never left their eyes.

Rinko bit her lower lip as Venipede groaned, "Dammit. She was doing such a good job, too," Machop trembling. It was not often that an opponent frightened her, no matter how power he or she was, and yet Slurpuff really rubbed her the wrong way.

Clawitzer frowned and got up from her seat, thinking, 'Now I know just how threatening you really are. There's no way you'll make it to the finals.'

Medics came in to load Delphox up onto a stretcher as many German fans gave her a bow of respect. After all, she had done her best despite spending a great deal of the match with little support.

Rinko bit her lower lip as Venipede nodded, both ultimately deciding to visit their new friend in the hospital. With no more matches for the day, they had nothing else to focus on right now.

"Well, this concludes round two," Beedrill stated, "Join us three days from now at the Saitama Super Arena for both semi-finals matches. I can guarantee, you won't wanna miss these."

Machop took a deep breath before noticing Gallador seated across from her, giving her a thumb up. Seeing this, she finally calmed down. After all, her semi-finals match would be first and thus she needed to focus on that. She did not wish to let her cousin down, after all.

Lairon patted the girl on the shoulder and said, "Come on, let's head home," as she sighed, "Can we stop to check up on our friends first?"

Garchomp nodded and replied, "Yeah, that sounds ideal," the dinosaur shrugging his shoulders and saying, "I got no arguments there."

Meloetta, meanwhile, bit her lower lip and whimpered, "I hope Delphox is okay," as Vigoroth patted her on the shoulder and replied, "It's okay. Remember, no one's allowed to die in these tournaments. She just needs some rest, that's all."

With all said and done, the group was ready to head off as Isamu rested a hand on Machop's shoulder, saying, "Don't worry. You'll do a great job. And if you end up facing Slurpuff in the finals, well, I can't imagine anyone else ending his winning streak."

"Thanks," Machop replied with a sigh before kissing him on the cheek, Eiko beaming and squealing, "That's just adorable!" Kelani sticking out his tongue in disgust.

After a ride in Garchomp's van, everyone was back at their respective homes. After everything that had happened today, Venipede was more than ready for a nice long rest. Sure, it had been quite some time since his match ended, but it had been very intense.

Clawitzer, meanwhile, was hard at work, figuring she may as well get in some training before bed. Though it was certainly weird not having Jackalu in the hotel suite with her. But at the same time, this only helped motivate her to work harder. There was no way she would lose to Slurpuff.

Gallador, meanwhile, was just about to reach his hotel when he felt a tap on his shoulder. He then turned as his eyes widened with shock.

Standing before him was a boy who looked exactly like him from head to toe. And Gallador's shock only heightened when the being smirked and said, "Hey there. Name's Gallador. What's yours?"

It was not long until the real Gallador realized what was going on. As such, he immediately swung his arm blade toward the stranger only to be blocked, the other boy gasping, "My word, is this how you react to everyone you've just met!? Geez, I'd hate to see how you greet the mailman!"

"Can it!" Gallador retorted as he sent a hard knee kick into the imposter's gut. This lowered his guard just long enough for the white boy to strike him across the cheek with his other arm, shouting, "MINI PSYCHO CUT!"

The imposter gasped and rubbed his cheek, saying, "That wasn't very nice," and thus he proceeded to transform into what Scyther used to look like back when she was in her teens, smirking and saying, "You know, the owner of this form defeated your dad more quickly than any other opponent."

"Yeah, but I'm not like my father," Gallador retorted as he leapt into the air, planting his feet hard into the bug's face.

He then propelled himself high into the air before holding his arm blades out and spinning, shouting, "SWORDS DANCE PINWHEEL!"

But just as he was about to land the attack, the fake Scyther proceeded to form a pair of blades on her arms before spreading out her wings. She then used them to fly above Gallador as his eyes widened. And sure enough, the imposter landed right behind him and raced forward, shouting, "ARM SCHWERT!" slashing him across the back.

Blood flew from that very spot as Gallador's eyes and mouth were wide open. Thus he could no longer carry on as he fell forward, landing hard against the pavement as the imposter pulled out a bag, saying, "Well, you at least put up a better fight than Beedrill did back in the day. Too bad not even you were good enough to stop me."

She then formed back into Gallador and said, "I'm gonna enjoy playing with your cousin three days from now. Unfortunately, you won't be around to see it happen."


	60. Chapter 60

With only a couple of days to prepare herself, Machop was hard at work after breakfast. After all, she knew just how much of a challenge Gallador would be. If only she knew that she might not face him when the day came.

Either way, Garchomp was rather impressed as she used her fins to replicate the white boy's various blade-based attacks and Machop managed to evade all of them. If anything, it seemed as if the girl was already prepared for the match and might not need any training.

"Good job," Lairon said with a grin, "You must really know a lot about him," Machop shrugging and replying, "Well, we did spar a lot when we were younger. He doesn't seem to have developed a whole lot of new techniques since then."

She then let out a sigh and said, "Still, I really hope I don't let him down. Whenever we fought back then, he always let me win. He's not gonna do that this time, so I really need to be in top form."

"Just treat him like any other opponent, then," Garchomp replied with a grin, "I'm sure that's what he'll want you to do," as the girl sighed, "Easier said than done."

At that moment, Meloetta entered the area with four glasses containing a green liquid, squealing, "Hey, I made some limeade!" as the others smiled wide, Machop immediately forgetting about her lack of confidence. Needless to say, having all of these friends who cared so much about her was nice.

All the while, Clawitzer was in the mountains using rocks like practise dummies. After using her Crabhammer technique to crack quite a few, she started ramming her smaller claw into a few others. After all, using that one was part of what allowed her to defeat Jackalu and she was certain relying on it more would help her against Slurpuff.

'Don't you worry about a thing, Jackalu,' she thought, 'You may not have your chance to defeat Slurpuff, but I do, and I'm not going to waste it.'

With that in mind, she noticed another stone and lifted it up with her claw. She then applied a great deal of pressure to it as multiple cracks formed, ultimately causing it to shatter. A look of satisfaction formed on her face as now she was certain she could pull this off.

Slurpuff, meanwhile, was doing nothing to prepare himself for his match with Clawitzer. As a matter of fact, he had spent the whole day walking around Tokyo with an army of fangirls by his side, all of which treated him to lunch, a movie and a variety of other things.

Somewhere in the middle of it all, a news reporter walked by and spotted him, exclaiming, "Oh my god, it's Tokyo's sweetheart, Slurpuff!" before clearing her throat and adding, "Let us walk over for an interview," her cameraman saying, "Nice save," in the most sarcastic tone he could muster.

Both then walked over as the fangirls glared at her only for Slurpuff to smile and say, "Hi, Miss Lady Person. What's up?" hearts forming in the reporter's eyes as she cooed, "You're so cute, I just wanna pinch your-"

She then turned toward the camera and laughed nervously, saying, "I'd like to interview you for a bit, if you don't mind," the cake dog bouncing up and down and squealing, "Yay! I've never been interviewed before!"

This was more than enough for the fangirls to back down as the woman breathed a sigh of relief and asked, "So, how does it feel to be in the semi-finals?" the cake dog replying, "It's awesome sauce! I beat the chicken and fox lady so easily with a wham and a pow! I'm gonna win the tournament!"

"Oh, I'm sure you are," the reporter replied with a sweet smile, "But word has it that Clawitzer is training extra hard so she can defeat you. Don't you think it might be a good idea to try that yourself?" only for Slurpuff to shake his head and reply, "Nope, but thank you so very, very much for caring."

He then gave her the sweetest smile he could muster as she bit her lower lip, wanting so much to reach out and pet him. As such, she turned to the camera and said, "Well, there you have it. Slurpuff doesn't even need to train. He is just that incredible."

The woman then gave an army salute and added, "God bless you, Slurpuff! You are a true hero!" as the fangirls all cheered and applauded, Slurpuff bouncing up and down with glee.

Since it had been quite some time, Torchic was awake with Vigoroth, Eiko and Kelani currently visiting her in the hospital. All four had watched this report on TV as the chicken narrowed her eyelids and growled, "I really hope Clawitzer wipes the floor with him."

"I have no doubt she can do it," Vigoroth replied, "After all, Delphox actually came pretty close. Clawitzer is not only skilled but also much stronger, making her much more likely to end his winning streak."

"Yeah, Clawitzer's cool," Kelani replied with a big grin, Eiko nodding and replying, "That she is."

"I'm just glad I'll be able to watch," Torchic sighed, "I still wish I hadn't missed Machop's victory over Chesnaught. And even now, all I can do is watch on TV. I wanna be there in person!"

"Yeah, Slurpuff really pulled a number on you, didn't he?" Vigoroth groaned, "I didn't know cake frosting could be so tough," as Kelani trembled only for Eiko to pat him on the shoulder, saying, "Don't worry. Real cake won't hurt you."

"Still, at least her next opponent isn't out for blood," Torchic said with a light smile, "So even if she loses, at least it'll be to someone she'll be happy to see in the finals. If anything, it's Clawitzer I'm worried about. After all, without Jackalu there, she'll have a lot less support."

The others nodded as Eiko squealed, "Well, like Vigoroth, I'm sure she can do it! I mean, she beat Lucario's son! She can beat anybody! She might even be able to beat Machop in the finals-" before stopping herself and laughing nervously.

"Hey, it's not like any of us would be bitter about that," Torchic said with a grin as Eiko nodded, her cheeks turning light pink. Kelani was a tad confused by this reaction but chose not to question it.

And soon enough, all three days had passed as it was finally time for the semi-finals to begin. Many were headed toward the Saitama Super Arena for the event, and needless to say, the excitement was high. After all, while the semi-final matches were not always the best, they often came very close to what the finals had to offer.

Though unlike the previous rounds, these two matches took place in only one location with an hour-long break between each one. As such, everyone had gathered at noon as opposed to ten, which of course gave them a lot more time to get ready.

Unlike the other days, Noboru and Hana had time off from work and thus had decided to drive their kids, the man saying, "You know, I gotta say, watching the matches online just isn't as thrilling as watching them up close."

Hana nodded and replied, "I know. Every time I watch your friends fight, it's so exhilarating, and I don't usually like violence. Maybe it's because it's not scripted," as all went silent, Kelani looking around at everyone.

"Oh, by the way, Isamu," Noboru said with a grin, "If Machop wins this match, we were thinking of reserving a celebratory dinner for just the two of you," as Isamu laughed nervously and replied, "That's really thoughtful, but are you sure about that?"

Eiko blinked and asked, "What's wrong with that? At least they're not going to join you inside the restaurant," as Isamu sighed, "Yeah, but I don't want you guys spending your money on us just because we're together now."

"Good old Isamu," Noboru laughed, "Always thinking about us, but don't you worry, son. We're not setting this up just because we feel obligated to."

"Well, if you're sure about that," the boy replied with a shrug, "Still, the break between matches today is a lot shorter. She may not have the strength for a date when it's all over," Hana nodding and replying, "That's why we haven't made the reservation yet."

With that, the humans arrived and exited as their friends greeted them by the exit. Of course, the only ones not there were Machop, Lairon and Garchomp as they were headed off to a training facility to ready themselves for the match. And as much as Isamu would have liked to have seen her beforehand, he figured that his presence could throw off her concentration, and he did not wish for that to happen.

Just as Machop, Lairon and Garchomp neared the training facility, the girl noticed 'Gallador' standing nearby and looking at himself in a hand mirror. Though this was a strange sight, she was happy that she could have a quick chat with him before the match. Thus she turned to Lairon who nodded in approval.

"Not gonna lie, he's actually pretty handsome," the imposter said with a grin, "I would love to spend my life with this form. It's just too bad I'm-"

He was soon cut off when Machop squealed, "Hey, Gallador!" the imposter turning and grinning nervously, asking, "Oh, hello, Machop. How's my favourite cousin today? Not getting cold feet, are ya?"

Machop blinked and uttered, "Favourite cousin. Never heard that one before," before shrugging her shoulders and saying, "Don't you worry about a thing. I'm taking this fight completely seriously, so there's no way in Hell I'm holding back."

"Excellent," 'Gallador' replied with a smirk while thinking, 'Yes, now my victory will be even more satisfying. I don't care if I make it to the finals or not. Once I kill you, my life will truly feel complete.'

"Anyway, I guess I'd better prepare myself," Machop said with a light wave, "Don't you dare go easy on me, got it?" 'Gallador' nodding and remarking, "As if I'd ever do such a thing."

With all said and done, Machop headed back to Lairon and Garchomp to begin preparations for the match. All the while, the imposter folded his arms and thought, 'She's even more sickening than her father.'

All the while, the others were already in their seats as Kelani squealed, "Yay! We're in the front row again!" Isamu nodding and replying, "That is why we always come early."

Meloetta nodded as she said, "I can't wait for this match. It'll be nice for Machop to have a fair opponent for a change," Vigoroth nodding and sighing, "Yeah. I swear to god, she can't fight anyone without stirring up some sort of drama."

"Hey, look on the bright side," Rinko added, "At least all of them stopped hating her after their matches," as Venipede nodded and replied, "Yeah, she has a knack for that, doesn't she?"

"Hey, son," Noboru whispered to Isamu, "You want me to help you give Machop a big, special cheer when she enters?" as the boy sighed, "Dad, I don't wanna go overboard, okay?"

"But she'll like it," Hana replied with a big smile as Eiko grinned and added, "Yeah! We can make it a family effort!" the boy biting his lower lip, his eye twitching.

"Alright, ladies and gentlemen, it's finally time for the semi-finals to begin!" Beedrill exclaimed as everyone gave him their undivided attention, "Now, something you'll notice is that, well, both of today's contestants represent the same country, specifically France. We were going to separate the audiences based on which hero they support, but we found out from plenty of interviews that the vast majority of French fans will be fine with either one winning, so we've decided not to put them in separate bleachers."

Meloetta beamed at the sound of this and squealed, "Yay, everyone's gonna get along today!" as Kelani also seemed more than happy with this, especially after having been given cold looks when he supported Torchic during her match with Slurpuff.

Meanwhile, in a cottage far from the arena, the real Gallador was sound asleep on a bed with the gash left three days ago still in his back. As it so happened, his attacker had stuffed him into a bag and sent him down a stream. He could have wound up dead had the owner of the cottage, a fisherman, not caught the bag with his hook.

It was at this moment that the white boy finally yawned and opened his eyes. He then bolted upright and breathed heavily, gasping, "Oh my god, where am I!?" before looking at a clock and groaning, "Shit! I'm late for the match!"

At that moment, a middle-aged woman entered the room and gasped, "Hey, Yo, our guest is awake!" the fisherman entering and saying, "That's great. I knew we didn't need to take him to the hospital," Gallador looking back and forth between them.

Back in the arena, Nori pointed to the Western entrance and exclaimed, "In the red corner is one who has truly amazed us with his talent! He's defeated the likes of Gyarados and Venipede and now he faces the last hero of Tokyo to still be in the tournament! Presenting Gallador!"

The crowd went wild as the imposter entered the ring with a grin, waving to the crowd and receiving many cheers. Meloetta smiled and said, "He's so calm about all of this. If I had to fight a family member, I'd be really nervous," as Vigoroth replied, "I'm pretty sure he was nervous before. Heck, he probably spent a great deal of time mentally preparing himself for this."

'Gallador' overheard this and smirked, thinking, 'Oh, this is too perfect. Yes, I'll play by their rules for a little bit, and once Machop's weak enough, I'll use these blades to lob her head off. It's perfect.'

Once he entered the ring, Yuki pointed at the Eastern entrance and stated, "In the blue corner, the one who has saved us many times and has beaten both Garbodor and Chesnaught! Despite being much skinnier than her predecessors, she still possesses that infamous Mach family spirit! With a knack for surprising the crowd, Machop!"

The girl entered the area with a fake head taped to her shoulder next to her real one and cardboard blades strapped to her arms. The crowd stared in stunned silence and confusion as she groaned, thinking, 'At least the other entrances were creative. This is just creepy.'

However, it seemed as if the imposter realized what she was getting across as she thought, 'Oh, I see, this is her way of showing respect to her cousin. Alright, I'll play along.'

With that in mind, he cleared his throat and smiled, saying, "Wow, you are so awesome, Machop! To put something so elaborate together just to let me know how much you respect me! Well, don't you worry! I am not gonna hold back!"

Machop's eyes sparkled, a big open-mouth smile forming as Eiko asked, "Oh, that's what she was doing?" as Rinko stroked her chin and uttered, "I had a feeling that was the case."

Upon hearing this, the crowd was slightly more supportive as Machop grinned, mouthing the words 'Thank you'. She then entered the ring and removed her props, holding out her fist and saying, "Here's to a good match."

"Of course," 'Gallador' replied as he pounded his fist against hers, a smirk forming as he headed toward his own side of the ring, thinking, 'Passing off as this guy is easier than I first thought.'

During this time, the real Gallador had explained everything that was going on to the fisherman and his wife. Both nodded in understanding as Yo said, "Well, I can get you to the arena, but I will warn you, my car's not as fast as it used to be."

"Look, I don't care," Gallador retorted, "Someone's posing as me and is likely planning to murder my cousin. I need to be there," as Yo's wife nodded and said, "That is certainly an emergency."

And with that in mind, the man headed outside, leading the white boy to his car. All the while, Gallador really hoped he could make it before things got out of hand.

Once Machop stood by her own side of the ring, Yuki nodded and said, "Well, folks, the combatants are set! Let us begin!" ringing the bell.

'Gallador' wasted no time leaping toward Machop with his arms spread out and spinning like a hand propeller. The crowd was shocked by this as Nori stated, "And Gallador wastes no time using his Swords Dance Pinwheel, though it does seem a tad early to use a move like that."

And it appeared so as while Machop was surprised at first, she already knew how to avoid this. As such, she waited for the white boy to get close enough before crouching down, sending a jab into his midsection. The crowd went wild as he gasped but ultimately ignored the pain and continued to spin. Only since Machop was too low for the blade, he simply reached out his leg thus delivering a roundhouse to her cheek.

The girl backed up and rubbed that very spot, thinking, 'Well, guess he must have figured I'd have found a way around that. No biggie,' as 'Gallador' gritted his teeth. Sure, he managed to hit her and even deal more damage, but he had hoped to cut her open early so the match would be easier.

"Wow, they're definitely not holding back," Vigoroth uttered as Venipede nodded and replied, "You'd think there would be a little struggle, you know, like when I fought you," turning to Rinko.

The brunette nodded and said, "I definitely expected an underwhelming start. Good to know I was wrong. They've only dealt one hit each, but I could feel their passion."

'Gallador' proceeded to race toward Machop, this time crossing his arms and thinking, 'Alright, let's see you avoid this!'

However, Machop knew exactly what was coming as she leapt over him at the last second. His eyes widened when she planted her feet into the back of his head, causing him to fall on his chin while the crowd cheered even louder. And it only got better when she climbed onto the white boy's back, wrapping her arms around his chin and pulling on it.

"Machop is on fire!" Yuki exclaimed, "After taking in that roundhouse, she is truly on high alert as she evades Gallador's strongest moves and sets him up for a camel clutch! I guess all those years actually knowing her opponent have made him easier to figure out!"

'Of course,' 'Gallador' thought with his teeth gritted, 'She's known him for years! I need to use some kind of tactic that's unexpected from him! But what!? I have to remember his previous matches.'

With that in mind, he remembered something he could do as he lifted up his arms, pointing the blades at Machop's sides. Her friends wanted to speak up and warn her, but they had to remember that she was facing her cousin, not a bitter rival or a villain.

Strangely enough, the girl did not see this coming as 'Gallador' sent the blades into her sides just far enough to leave a pair of deep cuts but also making sure not to kill her yet. As a result, she cried out in pain, releasing her hold as the white boy used his legs to latch onto hers, throwing her backwards as her head hit the turnbuckle.

The Japanese crowd gasped as Yuki exclaimed, "They're really pulling no punches! In order to shake Machop off, Gallador has put two pretty big cuts on her sides! I thought for sure they would hold back in this match, but clearly they've proven me wrong!"

Machop grunted and held onto her sides, Meloetta whimpering, "Is she going to be okay? I know she told him not to hold back, but that's going too far," as Vigoroth sighed, "Don't forget, they've been preparing to treat each other like any other opponent. If Gallador had fought anyone else in this tournament, he would have done the same thing. This just shows how serious he is."

"Besides," Noboru replied, "Machop's used to this sort of thing. After her fight with Sneasel, I'm pretty sure she can handle this."

Upon rising to his feet and seeing Machop's condition, 'Gallador' let out a fake gasp and asked, "Are you alright, my beloved cousin?" as the girl's look of pain turned to confusion, the imposter gulping and thinking, 'You moron! That was about as convincing as an elementary school play!'

He then cleared his throat and uttered, "I mean, are you okay, Machop?" the girl smirking and replying, "I didn't know you cared that much about my health, but trust me. I'll be okay. Honestly, I'm glad you're taking me this seriously because I'd feel insulted if you didn't go all-out."

'Perfect,' 'Gallador' thought as he struck a fighting pose, clearly ready for more.

During this time, the real Gallador was headed to the arena in Yo's car as he groaned, "You were right. This thing is slow," as it seemed the fastest it was able to go was forty miles an hour.

"Yeah, this is why I don't drive often these days," Yo replied with a sigh, "At least until I finally replace her. All this baby's really good for is obstructing traffic. It's a good thing not many people are out at this time."

Gallador nodded and took a deep breath, hoping he could make it in time to expose the imposter. After all, he did not wish for his cousin to die, and as long as he revealed the truth in time, this stranger could at the very least be disqualified and placed under arrest.


	61. Chapter 61

So far, the match between Machop and 'Gallador' had been surprisingly intense with neither fighter holding back. After all, the Gallador in the ring was an imposter with a reason to go all-out while Machop had mentally prepared herself not to hesitate no matter who she was facing.

As such, she proceeded to race toward 'Gallador', but just as she ready to strike, he leapt to the right and aimed a roundhouse toward the side of her head. And just like the last time he used that, this managed to catch Machop off-guard as she took in the blow, her eyes and mouth wide with shock.

And before she could collect her thoughts, 'Gallador' proceeded to send rapid punches into her face, the crowd truly amazed as Nori said, "While it was established in his match with Venipede that he will sometimes resort to his mother's boxing techniques, we have rarely seen Gallador use actual punches up to this point."

"I think I know why," Beedrill replied, "As was shown earlier, Machop knows enough about her cousin to see through his signature moves. My guess is that he's mixing things up and taking a different approach in order to catch her off guard."

'No shit, Captain Obvious,' the imposter thought as he continued his onslaught, 'I swear to God, they treat announcing like it's the greatest job ever, but all they ever do is state what anyone with eyes already knows.'

However, his train of thought was suddenly cut off when Machop lifted up her arms, blocking the twenty-fifth and twenty-sixth punches. She then smirked and said, "I'll admit, that was unexpected, but I can handle this."

As such, she lifted up her foot and sent it hard into 'Gallador's' gut thus causing him to back up a bit. She then took full advantage of this and sent two karate chops into his shoulders, racing behind him and wrapping her arms around his waist. The crowd then cheered as she lifted him up for a suplex.

'Guess she wasn't as prepared for this as she first thought,' the imposter thought with a smirk, 'I've seen enough from him to know that I can just as easily use my spike to cushion the blow.'

But just as he was about to do that, it seemed Machop had something else in mind as she leaned sideways, sending the side of his head into the canvas. The crowd cheered even louder as Yuki stated, "And Machop fakes him out by changing the direction of her suplex. It seems Gallador's not the only one taking the less predictable approach."

Machop released her hold and allowed the white boy to collapse as Eiko squealed, "That was so cool!" Isamu nodding and saying, "Just the kind of miracle I would expect from her."

Noboru nodded and grinned, replying, "I'll say. That Machop can turn any bad situation in her favour."

And of course, Lairon could not have been more proud of his pupil right now. He had a feeling she would not be foolish enough to try a regular suplex on 'Gallador', especially knowing how he normally fought, but the dinosaur was still impressed all the same.

'Gallador' quickly sprang back to his feet, breathing lightly while thinking, 'Dammit, she's just as annoying as her father. What's something else I can do to catch her off guard?'

He realized he could not contemplate this further as Machop leapt toward him with her arm out, shouting, "MOON HOOK!" the imposter panicking as he leaned backward just in time to avoid taking in the hit.

He then saw an opportunity as he lifted up his arms just in time to take hold of Machop's waist, bending back further and planting her face into the canvas. Some audience members cheered as Rinko blinked and said, "Kinda surprised no one else has tried that yet, come to think of it."

However, Machop ignored the pain and latched her ankles onto 'Gallador's' neck, lifting him up over her head and slamming his back into the mat. The crowd went wild as Yuki exclaimed, "And just as quickly as Gallador gets the advantage, Machop takes it back with a frankensteiner!"

'No!' 'Gallador' thought as he ignored the pain, taking hold of the girl's ankles before she could remove them. He then pulled back hard enough to force Machop to fall forward, folding her legs before standing up. He then finished the setup for his move by sitting on her back, bending her knees as the crowd cheered.

"And just like that, Gallador turns Machop's frankensteiner against her and sets her up up for a cloverleaf!" Yuki exclaimed, "It's been going back and forth for a while, but it looks like he might just have the advantage for good!"

Machop cried out in pain as 'Gallador' smirked and asked, "You alright?" the girl grunting, "Of course!" while struggling to free herself.

Meloetta pursed her lips and whimpered, "I hope he's not being too rough," as Vigoroth patted her on the shoulder and replied, "I doubt Gallador would go that far."

Machop felt the same way, but she refused to submit so easily and insult her cousin. As such, she realized the one thing she could do to free herself as she gritted her teeth, focusing as hard as she could as her leg muscles started to expand. Unfortunately, 'Gallador' noticed this immediately and smirked, thinking, 'As if I'd let you use that cheap tactic.'

With that in mind, he immediately released his hold on her legs and leapt into the air, flipping vertically so his face was facing her back. He then folded his arms with the blades pointed outward and shouted, "CROSS PSYCHO CUT!"

The crowd gasped as the blades were planted hard into Machop's back. The girl cried out in pain as blood flew out, a big grin on 'Gallador's' face as Eiko squeaked, "Oh my god, he's scaring me!"

"Relax, he hasn't broken any rules," Hana coaxed as Isamu shook his head and remarked, "She's right, Mom. Look."

And sure enough, the group noticed the look on the white boy's face. It was one thing to smile after pulling off an impressive feat, but the grin he had right now was psychotic. It was as if he was hoping this attack had killed Machop.

'Wow, how did the real Gallador never think of something like this?' the imposter thought while resisting the urge to break out into maniacal laughter, 'It's so simple yet so effective. Well, I can take pride knowing I was the one who invented this move, not him.'

And it did not end there as he noticed Machop struggling to rise back to her feet. As such, he thought, 'Well, I can't reveal my secret without killing her first, and right now, she's far too weak to resist.'

With that in mind, the imposter leapt high into the air before pointing his knees toward Machop's back. He then descended as he made contact with that very spot, the crowd gasping as more blood flew out, the girl crying out once more.

"I know they're trying not to hold back, but that was kinda messed up," Venipede uttered as Rinko nodded and replied, "Yeah, it's like he's trying to send her to the hospital. I mean, was he anywhere near that rough on you?"

"Well, no," the centipede said with a look of suspicion, "He wasn't even that hard on Gyarados. With each of us, he only did what he needed to do to win. He never went too far with it, and yet right now, he's treating Machop like she's a villain who needs to be stopped as soon as possible."

"No, it's worse than that," Lairon retorted, "If anything, she's acting like Lucario did during the twenty-second Olympics every time he was on the verge of defeat. Remember what that was like, honey?" as Garchomp nodded and growled, "That's right. According to his sister, an aura that only those close to him could see would always appear and give him this great burst of strength. The major downside, though, was that it also caused him to lose control of his emotions and enjoy the pain of others."

Kelani trembled as 'Gallador' lifted up his arms and cupped his hands together, ramming his elbows hard into Machop's back. This caused her even more pain as her eyes rolled to the back of her head, said part tilted sideways as her cheek hit the canvas.

The rest of the crowd was soon just as frightened as Machop's friends when 'Gallador' used his left hand to hold her head up, positioning his right arm blade right below her neck. Seeing this, Beedrill frowned and snapped, "Now, I don't think I need to remind Gallador that if he kills his opponent, he'll be disqualified from the tournament thus making the winner of the next match our champion!"

"Oh, don't worry, I'm not really going to kill her," the imposter retorted with a grin as Isamu gulped nervously, uttering, "That's right. He wouldn't do that to his cousin, would he?" the others nodding in agreement as Kelani whimpered, Eiko stroking him and giving him reassuring words. But even so, she, too, was scared of the position Machop was in right now.

"Well," Beedrill said, "as long as you don't plan on killing her, I'll let the match continue, but-"

"STOP!" came a familiar voice as the crowd gasped and turned toward the entrance to the area, the real Gallador standing there and breathing heavily with a look of terror in his eyes, Yo joining him and saying, "Um, yeah, this guy has something he needs to tell you all."

"Oh no, don't tell me-" Lairon uttered as Meloetta squeaked, "I didn't know Gallador had a twin brother!"

The others gave her an awkward stare as Vigoroth sighed, "Don't you get it? That's not Gallador in the ring," as Isamu groaned, "Oh, you've gotta be kidding me."

The imposter stared wide-eyed in response to all of this. A part of him wanted so badly to cleave Machop's head off right now, especially since he had already planned on revealing himself at this moment, but seeing the real Gallador still alive was too shocking and thus he found himself unable to move, let alone speak.

"What's going on here?" Yuki uttered as Nori and Beedrill turned to one-another, groaning, "Oh god, not again!"

"That fighter you see about to defeat Machop is a fake!" Gallador spat as the crowd gasped, Vigoroth saying, "Called it," as Meloetta and Kelani were more frightened than before.

"I don't know who that guy is, but he knocked me unconscious the day round two ended," the white boy explained as Yo nodded and said, "I can only assume that he stuffed this boy into a bag, because, well..."

He then proceeded to tell the crowd about how he was fishing that day when his hook snagged onto a big bag. He reeled it in, figuring there must have been something of value in it, and needless to say, he was shocked to see an actual person unconscious when he opened it.

And to make matters worse, Gallador remained in that state for the entire time leading up to the match. Needless to say, if he had been out any longer, things would have gotten much worse.

The imposter's eyes twitched as he forced a grin, the real Gallador smirking and saying, "The next time you try a stunt like that, you should make sure the victim is actually dead. You had the means to do it."

At that moment, 'Gallador' grumbled curses as he had to admit that the white boy had a point. But even so, Beedrill had heard enough as he snapped, "Tell us who you really are!"

Realizing there were no other options, the imposter shrugged and released Machop, her face falling forward into the canvas as he cleared his throat, taking on a more feminine tone and saying, "Well, first of all, I'm not actually a he," before glaring at what seemed to be nothing.

The crowd gasped as Beedrill blinked and uttered, "I've heard that voice somewhere before, only slightly higher in pitch," as 'Gallador' nodded and replied, "Well, you should recognize me. After all, your tag team partner was the first hero I ever defeated."

Now the crowd truly was astounded as Garchomp groaned, "Oh no, I saw that on TV," Lairon nodding as Isamu asked, "Who is that!?"

It was then that the imposter's form changed from that of Gallador to a purple woman with soft flesh and dots for eyes. Beedrill's eyes widened as he pointed and spat, "Oh my god, I remember you! You and your brother knocked Butterfree and I out just so you could kill Machoke in the second round of the Ultimate World Team Tournament!"

All went silent among the crowd until Venipede trembled and spat, "Wait a minute, is that the infamous Ditto!?" as the woman shook her head and remarked, "Well, it is a touch difficult telling us apart, so I'll let that mistake slide, but no, I am his sister, Ditta."

"Wait, Ditto and Ditta?" Vigoroth asked with an odd look as Eiko blinked and uttered, "That sounds like something out of a children's book."

"That hardly matters right now!" Isamu retorted as he breathed heavily, "Don't you see!? Machop's been in real danger since the match began!"

During this conversation, Slurpuff had felt tense. Something about Ditta's presence really got under his skin as his fangirls noticed, one gasping, "Oh my god, are you okay!?"

The cake dog suddenly remembered them and trembled while whimpering, "The mean lady scares me."

"Well, Ditta, I'm sure you know exactly what this means, right?" Beedrill growled as the woman let out a sigh and grunted, "I know, I know. Being a villain in a tournament for heroes is illegal. But honestly, I don't even give a shit about that."

"Wait, what?" Gallador retorted, his eyes wide with horror as the humanoid mold took on his form again, climbing back onto Machop's back and placing her in the same position as before, "I just about made the same mistake I did with you, Gallador. I don't care if you drag me to prison or even kill me for that matter. All that matters to me is that Machop pays for what her father did to my brother!"

Isamu was terrified now as he spat, "SOMEONE GO IN THERE AND HELP!" as Beedrill started flapping his wings, growling, "My pleasure! I've been wanting to get revenge on her for ruining my chance at a rematch with Machoke anyway!"

But just as Ditta smirked wickedly, preparing to cleave Machop's head off, the girl's eyes rolled back to their original position as she gritted her teeth, lifting up her hands and taking hold of the right arm. A tiny bit of blood dripped from the middle of her fingers as those spots were touching the blade. But as much as it hurt, it was nothing compared to the thought of being beheaded.

Ditta's eyes widened as Machop rose to her feet, breathing heavily with anger in her eyes. And as she glared at the humanoid mold, she grunted, "Gallador and I have been training really hard for this day! We were looking forward to facing each other, and then you had to come along and ruin everything! If you wanted to challenge me so badly, why not just do it like any other villain!?"

At that moment, many were starting to wonder this as well as Ditta explained, "If you must know, I figured that a tournament would be the perfect way to get revenge seeing as my brother and I were defeated in one prior to this. But also, I chose the Olympics because those are televised worldwide, therefor the whole world would have seen you die by my hands!"

Everyone stared in stunned silence as Vigoroth uttered, "Seriously, all this because her dad beat her up?" as Ditta overheard this and grunted, "I'll have you know that's not the only reason. No, losing to Machoke even when his ally was unconscious was one thing, but you have no clue what that man did to my brother! He blames himself for that failure! He went crazy! He became an alcoholic, never trying to go out and better himself! Unless a member of the Mach family is killed, he will never be happy!"

Machop took a deep breath and sighed, "Look, I'm sorry for what Daddy did, but you kind of deserved it. What was he supposed to do? Let you kill him?"

"SHUT UP!" Ditta retorted as Beedrill sighed, "Look, it doesn't matter anyway! If you don't leave this ring right now, you'll be placed under arrest, possibly for life!"

"Wait, what!?" Gallador spat as Machop nodded and asked, "Seriously, you're giving her the option to leave?"

"I know it's weird, but that's always been a policy when it comes to tournaments," Beedrill sighed, "It's mainly to avoid casualties. After all, if we let her stay, there's a chance she could kill someone."

Ditta gritted her teeth only for Machop to say, "Well, with all due respect, I'd much rather continue this match," as the crowd stared in admiration.

"Just like your father," Beedrill said with an implied smile as Nori nodded and added, "And as the rules state, if the opponent is okay with the rule violation, the match will be allowed to continue."

"Wait, seriously?" Vigoroth asked as Lairon nodded and replied, "That's always been the case with hero wrestling. Human wrestling is another matter all together, but we can handle this sort of thing."

"Well, that was the one thing I do admire about your father," Ditta said with a smirk, "The fact that he was confident enough to keep the match going and allow villains a chance to kill him. Though unlike before, I'm going to make sure this opportunity counts."

Gallador nodded with a grin and said, "I'm proud of you, Machop. I just know you can win this," as Beedrill sighed, thinking, 'Me too. In fact, I was hoping you'd say that. I've never quite liked the idea of letting villains go after exposing them.'

With that in mind, Ditta started to change form again, but rather than reverting back to Gallador, she decided to take on a state much more intimidating. The crowd stared in horror at what happened next as the woman had taken the form of a buff sky-blue man with fish lips and four arms.

Fear filled up Machop as Ditta smirked and said, "Admittedly, I didn't know enough about Machamp's abilities back when I fought Machoke, hence why I took on the form of Lucario instead. But now that I've studied his past matches and learned his techniques, I feel like I can truly take advantage of this form now. Just imagine the delicious irony of losing to your own grandpa."

Upon seeing her take this form, Machop's confidence slowly started to drop. She may have known plenty about her father, but all she knew about her grandfather was how powerful he was back in his prime. One could only imagine just how much more difficult this would be than fighting Ditta in the form of Gallador.


	62. Chapter 62

Machop was starting to regret agreeing to continue the match when she had a perfect chance at a default victory. As if facing Ditta in the form of Gallador was not difficult enough, the girl now had to fight her as her grandfather, Machamp. And since he had the most arms of anyone else in the Mach family, one could only imagine how much more difficult this would make things.

"What's wrong?" Ditta asked in a slightly raspy male voice before switching back to her own and adding, "Scared!?"

Machop bit her lower lip, trying her hardest not to show her fear until Isamu spat, "Hey, Machop, it's okay! She may look like your grandfather, but she is not your grandfather! Remember, she's a villain! Treat her like one!"

The girl took a deep breath and nodded, grunting, "You're right! You probably can't even use all of Grandpa's techniques!" Beedrill not sure whether or not to tell her that when Ditta transformed into Lucario, she was able to use all of his moves easily.

"That's right!" Rinko exclaimed, "Don't forget, this bitch robbed you of a fair match with Gallador!" Venipede adding, "Not to mention she almost killed him! Are you gonna let her get away with that!?"

The others joined in as Meloetta nodded and gave her a supportive smile. Lairon also gave her a thumb up while Garchomp shot a grin. And all the while, Eiko, Noboru, Hana and Kelani could not resist letting out the super loud cheer they had planned before, Isamu groaning and slapping his forehead.

Needless to say, all of this support put Machop's mind at ease as she breathed a sigh of relief. She had to win this match, not just to advance in the tournament but to put another villain away. After all, if she allowed someone with the power of every hero on the planet to escape, one could only imagine the kind of terror she could spread.

With that in mind, the girl held a defensive stance as Ditta smirked and said, "Well, if you won't make the next move, guess I may as well," before racing toward her.

But just as she was about to grab Machop, the girl knelt down only for Ditta to cup her lower hands together and send them downward into the back of her head. The crowd gasped as Machop grunted, rubbing that exact spot. And with her distracted long enough, Ditta proceeded to wrap her arms around her, squeezing tight with a wicked smirk.

Machop's eyes widened as she pursed her lips, Ditta saying, "I have to admit, of all the wrestling moves out there, I've never really been a fan of the bear hug. But those rare instances where your grandfather would use it, well, his extra arms always made it so effective."

"Can't argue with that," Nori stated, "Though I'm kinda surprised she knows that considering Machamp only used that move twice in his entire career," Beedrill blinking and uttering, "You know, I've never actually seen a hero use that move before."

After a while, people could hear Machop's back cracking slightly as Ditta smirked and said, "Well, I got the result I wanted. Don't worry, though, because I have no intention of winning with this move."

She then proceeded to flip the girl upside-down and leap into the air, placing her head between her knees and sending it hard into the canvas. The crowd was even more terrified now as Nori exclaimed, "And Machop takes in a tombstone piledriver! It already seems that taking on the form of Machamp was the best idea Ditta could have ever come up with!"

The older woman's eyes then widened as she and Beedrill turned to one-another and shook their heads. Deep down, they knew there were probably better options for opponents, but either way, the last thing either wanted to do was give the humanoid mold ideas.

Ditta, meanwhile, had the biggest grin on her face as she exclaimed, "This is awesome! His moves may not be anything special, but the added arms make them extremely easy to pull off!"

She then knelt down on top of Machop before sending a volley of punches into her face and adding, "And forget Gallador's boxing abilities! This is much more effective!"

Isamu's eyes widened as he spat, "Come on, Machop! Pull off another miracle!" the girl gritting her teeth and growling, "Right! I can't let you win!"

With that in mind, she held her hands up and managed to block two incoming punches. However, she knew that Ditta would continue her assault as she sent her lower fists toward her. And with that in mind, the girl opened her mouth and waited for said parts to get close enough before biting into the humanoid mold's wrists.

The crowd gasped as Nori exclaimed, "And after taking in an onslaught of punches, Machop retaliates with a tactic never before seen by a member of the Mach family!"

Ditta gritted her teeth, light tears rolling down her cheeks as Machop proceeded to lift her legs up, sending them hard into the humanoid mold's gut. This sent her flying backward as the girl wasted no time propelling herself off the mat and wrapping her arms around her waist, sending the back of her head into the canvas while the crowd cheered wildly.

"And with that surprise defensive tactic, Machop has managed to counter Ditta's onslaught and follow it up with an incomplete but still effective backdrop," Beedrill stated with an implied smile, "Just what we expect from the Mach family."

However, this hardly seemed to make a difference as Ditta smirked and asked, "Was that the best you could do?" ignoring the pain to her head and wrapping her lower arms around Machop.

The girl's eyes widened with terror as Ditta used her upper arms to push herself into the air, and since Machop was already upside-down, she saw no need to shift their positions. As such, all she did was lower the girl enough for her head to make contact with the canvas after they descended.

Machop coughed up blood as the crowd stared in horror, Eiko squeaking, "NO!" Kelani gritting his teeth and growling, "Come on, Machop! You can beat him up easily!"

"Remember, she's fighting a woman," Hana uttered as Noboru sighed, "Be honest, she may as well be fighting her grandfather right now."

The others stared at him as he added, "Think about it. Ditta's not only fighting in the form of Machamp, she's fighting as Machamp in his prime. She now possesses all of his original strength, and it's been said many times that partly because of his extra arms, he's gone on record as the most physically strong member of the Mach family, even more so than Machoke, whose track record was a lot more impressive. Machop's really gonna need some serious strategy and brains to win this."

Lairon blinked and said, "Colour me impressed. I'm surprised you actually knew that," as Hana smiled and replied, "Well, Noboru here has become a bit of a Mach family enthusiast ever since we saw Machop fight live. He dedicates at least an hour a day to looking up info about them."

Ditta released her hold and allowed Machop to collapse as Yuki gulped and started the ten count only for the humanoid mold to lift her up. She then wrapped her lower arms around the girl's neck while resting the upper arms against the top of her head.

"Is that the legendary four-armed sleeper?" Rinko uttered as Machop started to gag, Garchomp nodding and growling, "Dammit! I remember seeing this used on Machoke back in Hero School! I'm just trying to remember how he escaped from this hold!"

Gallador, meanwhile, watched all of this in horror, unsure of what to say. On one hand, him exposing the truth when he did certainly saved Machop's life, but on the other hand, who was to say she would not have eventually escaped anyway? Not only that, but Ditta had been a lot easier to fight when she took his form, and now that everyone knew she was a villain, she had no reason to use his powers anymore.

However, he suddenly remembered something Machop could try as he exclaimed, "Hey, Machop, Uncle Machoke told us about his final exam on Hero Planet, remember!?"

The girl blinked and temporarily ignored the pain to her neck as the white boy added, "Remember, he fought Machamp and one of the moves he fell victim to was this very technique! Do you remember how he escaped from it!?"

The girl's eyes widened as she smirked and wheezed, "It's a long shot, but it's worth a try," before slowly lifting up her arms with her fingers pointed upward, Ditta grunting, "Do you honestly think that's gonna work?"

However, her eyes widened, the crowd staring silently as once Machop's fingers were close enough, she started rubbing them lightly against Ditta's lower armpits. While a part of her was uncertain if this would really work, the only other option she saw was expanding her muscles, and she did not wish to use this unless it was really necessary.

Strangely enough, it seemed to work as Ditta pursed her lower lip, thinking, 'What is wrong with me? I'm not ticklish! Why do I feel this sudden urge to-'

Her thought process was ultimately cut off when the pressure got the better of her. As such, she released her hold on Machop and laughed hysterically, the crowd not even sure whether or not to cheer. On one hand, the girl had escaped, but on the other hand, her method was really hard to take seriously.

Even so, there was no way Machop would let this chance go as she raced toward Ditta, the mold blinking and snickering, "No, please don't!" only for the girl to leap at her and send a two-legged kick into her face.

She then wrapped her legs around Ditta's neck and used all her might to propel herself high above the ring, the mold still too distracted by her laughter to retaliate. Machop then used this opportunity to grab hold of her ankles, spreading out her legs and shouting, "METEOR WARHEAD!" planting her head hard against the canvas as she coughed up blood.

The crowd went wild as Gallador stared wide-eyed and uttered, "Wow, that was awesome," as Isamu let out a sigh of relief and said, "Leave it to Machop to pull off a miracle when it really counts."

As Machop released her hold on Ditta and allowed her to collapse, Yuki wasted no time starting the ten count. And once she reached four, the rest of the crowd joined in, chanting, "FIVE! SIX!"

But just as they were about to count to seven, Ditta grunted and rubbed her head, slowly rising to her feet as panic spread throughout the area. Deep down, many of them had a feeling that one move would not be enough to end the match for good, but they were all hoping for that result.

Ditta gritted her teeth and growled, "How the hell did you make that work!? Tickling has never worked on me before!"

Machop blinked and said, "Actually, I'm a tad surprised that worked too. Do you, by chance, copy more than just the form and the abilities?" as Ditta blinked and replied, "Well, I do tend to pick up other physical traits and even weaknesses," her eyes and mouth wide open for ten whole seconds until she gasped, "Are you telling me Machamp, the former champion who defeated Groudon is ticklish!?"

The girl nodded and grinned, replying, "Yep. In fact, that side of him was what allowed Daddy to get the drop on him when they fought on Hero Planet, and now that I know you've got that weakness too, I have no choice but to exploit the shit out of it!"

The crowd was dumbfounded at first before realizing this was a good thing and cheering heavily, Machop racing toward Ditta who tried grabbing her. However, the girl easily raced around her and reached her arms over to her armpits, once again rubbing them as the humanoid mold broke out into hysterics.

"YEAH, GO MACHOP!" Eiko squealed as Kelani clapped his paws, laughing. However, he was surprised when he turned and saw Slurpuff bouncing up and down in his seat, squeaking, "Yay, Machop's gonna win!"

With Ditta once again distracted, Machop took hold of her and lifted her up so her head was resting against her shoulder. The girl then allowed herself to fall backward, driving Ditta's skull into the mat with a brainbuster.

Nori announced all of this while the crowd continued to cheer, Rinko shouting, "THAT'S RIGHT! SHOW THAT POSER WHO'S BOSS!" Gallador all the while breathing a sigh of relief and thinking, 'Thank god. I guess maybe this will all turn out of the best in the end. As much as it pains me that I never got my match with you, seeing one of us advance to the finals is satisfying enough.'

It seemed that thought came too soon as Ditta slowly rose to her feet, rubbing her head as she thought, 'Alright, that's it! As much as changing my form would probably be the best idea, I have to defeat her with this one! It'll be the ultimate humiliation, and I already know how I'm going to avoid letting her near these armpits again!'

With that in mind, she raced toward Machop with her arms folded. Machop smirked and said, "I get it. By folding your arms, you make it more difficult for me to tickle you. Well, that hardly matters because with your arms folded like that, I don't need to resort to that."

But when the girl aimed a kick toward Ditta's shin, she was shocked when it seemed the mold saw this coming. With that, she proceeded to leap into the air, saying, "Gotcha," before spreading her arms out and using all four to bind both of Machop's in place. And since she was grabbing the girl's wrists as well as her arms, she could not even come close to the pits.

"Why didn't I see that coming?" Lairon groaned as Ditta smirked and said, "Honestly, I'm not too impressed. The fact that you needed a convenient weakness to get the advantage is just pitiful. I'd love to see you hit me again when you can't exploit it."

With that, she leapt high into the air before flipping Machop one-hundred-and-eighty degrees. She continued to hold her wrists with her lower arms while using the upper arms to take hold of her legs. And to top it off, she when wrapped her legs around the area just below Machop's shoulders as she exclaimed, "This move may have been effective when your dad used it, but Machamp's version is and always will be superior as his is the only one that's complete!"

Machop's eyes and mouth were wide open as the back of her head soon made contact with the canvas, the girl coughing up blood as Ditta exclaimed, "MUSCLE TOMBSTONE!"

The area went silent as the mold released her hold and allowed the girl to collapse. All of her friends stared as she lay there, her body twitching while Beedrill tensed up, praying that she could pull off another miracle and rise back to her feet. There was no way this could be it.

Nori would have at least started the ten count, but she knew Ditta would not approve as she planned to end this match with Machop's death. As such, the mold smirked and said, "Alright, since there's no way in Hell you're getting up, I guess I may as well end it right here. Though it's kind of a shame. I was actually starting to have fun."

With that in mind, she proceeded to lift up Machop and add, "Though honestly, that sleeper hold was kind of lame, so I have something much better in mind."

At that moment, Isamu stood up and spat, "COME ON, MACHOP! I KNOW THIS ISN'T THE END! YOU CAN DO IT!" Lairon nodding and barking, "YEAH! I'VE SEEN YOU GET UP FROM A NUMBER OF POWERFUL MOVES! SURELY THAT WASN'T ENOUGH TO FINISH YOU OFF!" as Garchomp and Eiko joined in.

"There's no way this is the same Machop who defeated Sneasel and Tentacruel!" Vigoroth barked as Meloetta added, "Don't forget Marshal and Kingdra! All of them came close to winning, but you were able to pull through in the end!"

"That's right!" Rinko spat, "I refuse to believe you of all heroes would lose to a lousy cheater!" as Venipede added, "Yeah, you're awesome!"

Even Clawitzer finally decided to say something as she exclaimed, "Come on, Machop! Chesnaught was far worse than this and you still defeated him!"

Meanwhile, in the hospital, Torchic was watching this and growling, "Please, Machop, show us the power that made you into the winner you are today. I know you can do this."

Unfortunately, their words did not seem to get through to Machop as she did not even so much as budge, Ditta smirking and saying, "Nice try, morons, but unfortunately for you, Machop is far too weak to recover. I'll admit, her father had some great resilience, but you can tell by looking at her that she's nowhere near as strong as he was."

With that, the mold leapt higher above the ring than ever before and said, "I suppose a second use of this move should end you for good," as she once again flipped the girl over and spread her arms out with her lower hands. She then used the upper hands to clutch onto her ankles before wrapping her legs around the area just below the shoulders.

At that moment, Noboru rose up and shouted, "Machop! Machop!" as Hana nodded and barked, "Machop! Machop!"

Eiko beamed and rose from her seat, chanting, "Machop! Machop!" as Isamu and Kelani followed suit. And it was not long until the entire arena was filled with cheers for Machop, Slurpuff not chanting her name but instead bouncing up and down with a goofy smile on his face.

Even the announcers, despite it being their job to stay neutral, could not help but join in as Ditta laughed and started to descend, shouting, "You're all wasting your breath! There's no way in Hell she can recover!"

However, just as all seemed lost, Machop's eyes widened as she gasped, gritting her teeth and growling, "Alright, I am not letting you hit me with this a second time!"

Ditta was rather shocked to see her actually wake up, but even so, she saw this as nothing to worry about as she smirked and asked, "And how, pray tell, are you going to get out of this?" as Machop gritted her teeth and retorted, "I'll have you know that many years ago, the mighty Bouffalant discovered a way to counter this technique, and when my dad fought Lucario during the twenty-second Olympics, he reminded the world of this very countermeasure! The only downside is how much muscle it takes to pull off, but it's still doable!"

With that in mind, Machop let out a loud battle cry as her muscles started to expand. And once she felt they had gotten big enough, she used all her might to shift her body back, soon flipping herself upright thus putting Ditta on the receiving end.

"No," the mold uttered with terror in her expression, "NO!" as Machop held onto her ankles and wrapped her legs around all four of her arms, locking them in place. And since Ditta did not have enough time to take advantage of how much the muscle expansion had sapped the girl's energy, she was unable to respond to this as Machop shouted, "MUSCLE TOMBSTONE MACH TWO!"

Ditta's head collided with the mat as she coughed up a considerable amount of blood, her eyes rolling to the back of her head as Machop let her go. The crowd cheered wildly as the humanoid mold collapsed, lying there with tiny breaths escaping her mouth.

Seeing this, Yuki immediately beamed and shouted, "One!" as Eiko got up and exclaimed, "Two!"

Machop breathed heavily, praying this was it as Slurpuff squeaked, "Three!" before giggling like a schoolgirl, his fangirls chanting, "Four!" with their arms in the air.

"Five!" Lairon and Garchomp added as Noboru and Hana yelled, "Six!"

Eiko and Kelani both rose their arms in the air, shouting, "Seven!" as Vigoroth, Meloetta, Rinko and Venipede all barked, "Eight!"

Isamu nodded with a grin as he and Gallador yelled, "Nine!" before Beedrill, Yuki and Nori all pointed at Ditta's unconscious body and shouted, "TEN!"

With all said and done, Beedrill excitedly rang the bell and stated, "And after a very long and close match, Machop has overcome all odds and saved us all from Ditta, therefor she will advance to the finals!" the entire arena erupting with loud cheers.

Slurpuff looked relieved as he thought, 'Good, now after I beat up Clawitzer, I'll have Machop all to myself,' a wicked look briefly forming in his eyes. But once one of his fangirls turned to face him, he went back to his usual smile and bounced happily in his seat.

Isamu breathed a sigh of relief and slumped down in his seat, groaning, "I love Machop, but goddammit, she needs to cut it out with all the close calls," Eiko patting him on the shoulder.

And needless to say, Machop was beyond happy as she rose her arm in the air, a big grin on her face while Lairon gave her a thumb up. As if making it to the finals was not enough, defeating yet another powerful villain was a whole other thing.

Gallador gave her a warm smile and thumb up, feeling beyond proud to be her cousin. As much as he and Machop would have loved to have faced each other, things had still ultimately turned out for the best. At the very least, it was nice to know one of them had made it this far.

At that moment, authorities came in with handcuffs as Ditta reverted to her normal form. And sure enough, her wrists were bound as she was dragged out of the ring, the crowd continuing to cheer. While it was true that Machoke had always had to deal with at least one case like this in every tournament he partook in, it had been ages since this last happened, so it was truly amazing to witness such a thing.

"Well, folks, that wraps up the first match of the semi-finals!" Beedrill exclaimed, "And what an incredible match that was! But don't forget, we still have one left! As such, we will take an hour-long break to ready ourselves for the big event, so get up, stretch your legs but watch the time because you won't wanna miss this!"

With that in mind, the audience got up to exit the area for the time being as Gallador climbed into the ring and held out his fist. Machop grinned and pounded hers against it, saying, "Maybe someday, we can have our dream match, eh?"

"Yeah," the white boy replied with a warm smile, "I look forward to it, though after that performance, I think I know who'll win that match."

Machop's eyes sparkled until he jokingly added, "Me, of course," as the girl retorted, "No way!" lightly punching his shoulder, "I would totally kick your ass!" but just as the two were about to rough-house, Isamu rolled his eyes and approached the ring, saying, "Come on, Machop, you're in hardly any condition to fight right now."

"Dammit, he's right," the girl grumbled as Gallador laughed and patted her on the shoulder, saying, "But seriously, I just know you'll win the championship for sure."

With all said and done, Machop hobbled out of the ring to join her friends, knowing right now that she would at least need to sit. After all, that was the closest she had ever come to failure, so she was lucky to have enough energy to stand right now. But even so, the important thing was that she had a chance to win the championship belt, just like her grandfather had done twice in a row back in his prime.


	63. Chapter 63

With an hour to go before Clawitzer's match with Slurpuff, everyone decided to use this chance to not only rest up but celebrate Machop's victory. After all, while she had not won the entire tournament, she had defeated a villain who had used her grandfather's abilities. And to the best of their knowledge, this would be the only time they would have to deal with this.

As such, Machop was seated with her friends for a late lunch with food Lairon had bought from the concession stand. All of them held up the bottles containing their drinks as Isamu stated, "I propose a toast to Machop, the queen of miracles!"

Everyone cheered and joined in, hitting their bottles up against one-another before laughing. Machop, meanwhile, blushed and chuckled, saying, "Queen of miracles. You're so sweet," before leaning over and giving the boy a peck on the cheek.

"You know, it's funny," Noboru said with his arms folded, "Long ago, I never would have approved of my son dating someone with such a dangerous profession, but honestly, I can't think of anything wrong with this," Hana nodding and adding, "When you decide to get married, we'll be more than happy to pay for it."

"Mom!" Isamu retorted with his cheeks flushed pink, "Aren't you getting a little ahead of yourself?" as Eiko giggled and squeaked, "Oh my god, I never thought I'd see you of all people blush! You used to be such a stick in the mud!"

Isamu was about to retort when Machop chuckled lightly in response to this. She would have broken out into hysterics, but after all the damage she took in, it likely would have hurt too much to do that.

Gallador chuckled and said, "It's good to see you've made some great friends here," as Vigoroth nodded and replied, "Thanks for the compliment. You're pretty cool yourself."

"You know, I still can't believe you're a princess," the white boy uttered while stroking his chin, "You don't look or act anything like one," Vigoroth shrugging and replying, "Yep. That's why I've agreed not to associate myself with my kingdom. Well, that and Dad doesn't want anyone violent representing the sloth kingdom."

"I still think that's unfair," Meloetta said as she folded her arms, "All you did was get your crops back from bandits. He had no right to scold you for that," as the sloth sighed, "Yeah, yeah, it's water under the bridge. I don't hate him anymore."

Kelani smiled wide as he took a bite out of a hamburger, Eiko asking, "How is it?" the doberman smiling and nodding his head to let her know he liked it.

The group continued to talk some more when Clawitzer entered the area and approached them, saying, "Hey there. That was an incredible match, Machop."

"Thanks," the girl replied with a grin, "I really hope I get you as my final opponent. I don't know what it is, but that Slurpuff scares the shit out of me."

Eiko gasped only for Kelani to reply, "It's fine, Mommy. I already know that's a bad word," the pink-haired girl breathing a sigh of relief as Isamu snickered.

"Don't you worry about a thing," Clawitzer replied with a smile, "I've seen enough of his abilities. I know I can beat him. Once our match ends, those cute looks of his will go on vacation."

All went silent as the group stared awkwardly at her, Venipede nudging Rinko and asking, "Was that supposed to sound intimidating?" the shrimp lowering her head and sighing, "You're right. I could have come up with better."

After a few more seconds, the group invited her to take a seat as she did so, Kelani offering her a fry. And it was not long until the group talked about something other than the match. After all, it helped to relieve stress.

"So, be honest," Machop asked with a smirk, "What do you think of Jackalu?" Clawitzer shrugging and replying, "Well, he's a good friend and an awesome ally. I think I made that very clear during our match."

"Well, yeah, we know that much," Garchomp replied with a grin, "What Machop is asking is, well, do you see him as more than a friend?" Lairon not sure whether they should have asked that. After all, such an awkward question could distract the shrimp during her match.

Clawitzer's cheeks turned beet red like the shell of a fully cooked lobster and uttered, "What? No. That's just silly," the others staring blankly at her as she laughed nervously and let out a sigh.

"Look, I like Jackalu, but I'm not really sure if I see him that way," the shrimp explained as the others nodded, Vigoroth saying, "Alright, that sounded legit. Interrogation is over," Meloetta giggling in response to this, though even she was not sure why she found that funny.

Clawitzer then noticed the time and got up, saying, "Well, thanks for letting me sit with you for a while. It's nice to have a pleasant conversation with someone again, but, well, I need to head off."

"Well, of course," Noboru replied with a grin, "Don't let us stop you," Eiko nodding and squeaking, "Good luck! Oh, I mean break a leg!"

"That's for stage performers," Isamu replied as the pink-haired girl laughed nervously.

With all said and done, Clawitzer spent the next little while training while the others headed back to the bleachers. While Machop's match had blown everyone's expectations out of the water, there was no doubt the shrimp's match with Slurpuff was still the more highly anticipated one. After all, the fact that she defeated the son of Lucario was not something one could just ignore.

While practising her claws on a sandbag, Clawitzer let out a sigh and thought, 'I really hope you're watching this, Jackalu. I didn't mean to deal that much damage to you! But I want you to see me fight and win without you there to cheer me on!'

She then suddenly thought about Machop's question as her cheeks turned deep red again, the shrimp groaning, "Okay, I definitely need to stop thinking about that."

As such, she patted her cheeks and nodded, saying, "Alright, I'm gonna win this. I don't care whether I get first place or not. I just can't let Slurpuff win. He seriously rubs me the wrong way."

After ten more minutes, it was finally time as Beedrill exclaimed, "Alright, ladies and gentlemen, you've all waited long enough! It's now time for the match to decide who will face Machop in the finals!"

The crowd went wild as he added, "We've had such an amazing tournament so far, but in my opinion, no match has outdone that last one. But for all we know, this next match may very well be the highlight of the Olympics. But you're all sick of hearing me talk about it. Let's introduce the fighters! Ladies?"

Nori nodded and exclaimed, "In the red corner, that Swiss pistol shrimp with her mighty claws has impressed us all by defeating her ally, Jackalu! And for all we know, she may just upstage her even more surprising opponent today! With great ferocity and spirit, Clawitzer!"

The Swiss fans started to cheer, but this very quickly came a halt when the shrimp entered the area wearing a ballerina outfit and spiked shoulder guards. All the while, a punk rock remix of The Nutcracker Suite played in the background as she held her claws over her head, tip-toeing her way toward the ring while occasionally kicking and swinging her claws at the air to show that she still meant business.

Once she was close enough, she threw off the top before leaping gracefully into the ring. And once she landed, she bowed to the audience as none of them knew how to react, the shrimp thinking, 'How did I do, Jackalu?'

Luckily for her, the dog was awake to see this in his hospital bed as he grinned and said, "Not bad for your first time, though I can help you come up with more creative entrances in the future."

The others, all the while, stared at this as Meloetta clapped and squeaked, "That was cool!" as Vigoroth shrugged and added, "Well, to be fair, that was more graceful than a typical Machop entrance."

Machop scowled at her as she snickered, Lairon growling, "I'll have you know those were influenced by me, young lady!" before folding his arms.

"And in the blue corner," Yuki stated, "coming to us from Turkey is a possible mutated pastry who has proven himself much stronger than he looks. He's blasted his way through Torchic like it was nothing and while Delphox put up a much better fight, she ultimately fell to him as well. Everyone, give a round of applause for the mighty, unpredictable Slurpuff!"

The Turkish and Japanese fans went wild as the cake dog rode toward the ring on a unicycle. Machop stared as an overly-cute J-pop song played in the background. However, the cake dog was not even halfway toward the ring when his mode of transportation fell on its side along with him. And as if this was all part of the plan, he gave the crowd a sweet smile and waved his arm, squealing, "Ta-da!"

Hearts formed in the audience's eyes as they all clapped and shouted a collective, "Aw!" Machop groaning, "Seriously, Clawitzer's entrance gets nothing and he gets a million cheers for screwing up. I swear to god, if this guy makes it to the finals, I might just hurl."

Slurpuff happily skipped toward the ring while the music still played and leapt up into the air. But much like in the first round, he tripped over the top rope and fell on his face, squeaking, "I fell down again!"

The crowd cheered even louder as one teenaged girl shouted, "HAVE MY CHILDREN!" Isamu staring in stunned silence and uttering, "I was wondering when someone would say that, to be honest."

Clawitzer narrowed her eyelids and thought, 'Yeah, just keep acting all cutesy-wootsy. Unlike these people, we can all see through it. You've had a good run, but it's finally time you meet your match.'

"Just think," Gallador groaned, "I could have wound up facing that guy in the finals," as Machop sighed, "Assuming Clawitzer loses, but I just know she can win this."

"Well, the combatants are set," Yuki stated, "So, without further ado, let us begin."

And once the bell was rung, Clawitzer held up a defensive stance and said, "You know what, Slurpuff? You've been such a good sport up until now that I think I'll give you the first hit," the cake dog's eyes sparkling as he bounced up and down, squealing, "You mean it!? You're so nice!"

"Finally, a polite opponent," one of his fans said as another added, "I know. Torchic and Delphox were just so rude," Machop and her friends not even sure if they should bring up the hypocrisy of their statements or not.

However, a few of them were more distracted by what Clawitzer had said. They could tell she did not mean a word of it, but would Slurpuff truly be dumb enough for fall for it?

It seemed so as he stretched one side of his hair in front of his face with the end in the shape of a sphere. He then formed what looked like a hammer with the other side of his hair, shifting it behind his head. He then sent it forward into the ball and shouted, "FROSTING KENDAMA!"

Clawitzer smirked upon seeing this and easily dodge to the side, the crowd gasping as the shrimp then threw her open claw into the hair. Everyone was confused until she said, "You know, your hair is a just a little too long. I think it needs a trim."

With that in mind, she clamped down on the hair, all going silent as she managed to cut it open. As such, the frosting sphere fell onto the mat and melted, forming a sticky pile.

"I can't believe it," Yuki uttered, "It's actually possible to cut Slurpuff's hair, and Clawitzer has taken full advantage of this," Machop blinking and uttering, "Honestly, I wasn't really expecting her to do that."

"Yeah, that was quite a risky move," Lairon said with his arms folded, "I thought for sure that if she tried to do that, her claw would stick to it."

However, it seemed not all was well as when the hair returned to Slurpuff's side, he released light tears and cried, his fans all gasping as one spat, "YOU MONSTER!"

Another nodded and barked, "You're a horrible person, Clawitzer! Shame on you!" even the Swiss fans joining in as the shrimp gulped and tried her best to ignore this. After all, she knew this would happen, though she had not expected Slurpuff to break out into tears.

As such, she held her arm out and said, "Um, look, I'm sorry, kid, but it's okay. I'm sure it'll grow back."

"CLAWITZER, LOOK OUT!" Isamu spat as the shrimp's eyes widened, the crowd just as shocked when the hair rose up, Slurpuff drying his tears winking, squealing, "Just kidding!"

The shrimp was unable to respond as the frosting flew into her, trapping her in place as Slurpuff stretched his hair out, reattaching it to the material. He then pulled back hard enough to pull the hair off of her while also causing her to spin into the turnbuckle, shouting, "FROSTING PINWHEEL!"

The crowd cheered as Nori uttered, "Oh my god, it's just like Ninetales only I probably should have seen it coming," as Beedrill nodded and replied, "Honestly, I'm kinda surprised I didn't suspect he'd have such an ability."

And with Clawitzer distracted, Slurpuff pointed his skull toward her and shouted, "CHERRY BOMB!" launching his cherry into her back. After all that talk, after all that preparation, she was still the first one to take in any damage in this match.

'Dammit!' she thought, 'My plan was to get rid of his hair so he couldn't use most of his attacks anymore. It seemed even with the right tool, it's impossible, but what can I do?'

She then remembered Jackalu in the hospital and how much he had wanted this match. She had promised not to let his loss be in vain and if she was to do that, she would need to do what Delphox tried to do.

As such, she took a deep breath and climbed onto a turnbuckle, everyone staring as Machop uttered, "That's kinda risky, isn't it?"

"Normally, yes," Lairon replied, "It's often best to save moves like this for when an opponent is down. But I have a funny feeling Clawitzer might have something else in mind."

And it seemed the dinosaur was correct as Clawitzer leapt off of the pole with her claws next to each other over her head. She then started to spin before shifting her body so the claws were facing Slurpuff as she flew toward him while shouting, "CRAB CLAW DRILL!"

Slurpuff looked fully confident as Delphox had tried this same move on him in round two. As such, he figured using the same method he had used on her would be the best idea and thus shot his hair toward her, wrapping it around her and using all his might to force her back. However, the crowd was shocked when not only did the shrimp manage to overpower his push but also wound up breaking the frosting open with her momentum.

"YES!" Eiko squealed as Kelani clapped happily, Slurpuff unable to respond as Clawitzer's claws ran into his forehead, putting a small hole on it and drawing his jam-like blood. All went silent among the crowd as the cake dog fell on his back, his tongue sticking out of the side of his mouth as a small child stared in horror as if this was the first time he took in damage like this.

'No, I won't let that get to me!' Clawitzer thought as she rose her claw, 'I knew this was going to happen!'

With that in mind, the shrimp sent her claw hard into Slurpuff's face while shouting, "CRABHAMMER!" her friends cheering as Rinko exclaimed, "Yeah! That's what I'm talking about!"

But just as it looked like Clawitzer would send in another one, it seemed she had forgotten one detail as the crowd watched in anticipation. After breaking free from Slurpuff's hair, she had broken the segments that bound her into small fragments. As such, they had all formed into little piles of frosting as they rose up into the air, Machop barking, "Hey, Clawitzer, behind you!"

But just like before, the shrimp had heard the warning too late as two of the lumps flew into her wrists. Another one bound itself to her midsection while two others latched onto her legs. And to make matters worse, Slurpuff had managed to ignore the pain dealt to him earlier and opened his eyes with his usual cute smile.

Clawitzer tried desperately to break free, but since she was no longer moving quickly, she had just as much trouble as Torchic and Delphox before her. And to make matters worse, Slurpuff spread out the rest of his hair into five thick ropes, latching each one onto a different fragment.

"Gosh, you sure are strong," he squealed with a light giggle, "But you sure are forgetful," as the shrimp groaned, wishing he would not sound so casual when saying something like that.

Slurpuff then proceeded to lift Clawitzer high above his head, spinning her around while shouting, "FROSTING PIZZA!" releasing his hold on the parts that were bound and letting her fly into the air while spinning. And as she descended, he formed a spike on the end of each section as the shrimp's back, arms and legs made contact thus causing her to cough up blue blood.

The crowd went wild as Slurpuff's assault did not end. Rather than allowing Clawitzer to fall, he combined all five spikes into a big one and shifted them around in a circular motion, spinning the shrimp around as blood started to drip from her back.

"This is fun!" the cake dog squealed as Machop gritted her teeth and snapped, "COME ON, CLAWITZER, FIGHT BACK! YOU'RE SO MUCH BETTER THAN THIS! COMPARED TO JACKALU, THIS GUY IS NOTHING!"

The others nodded and gave their own words of encouragement as the shrimp's eyes widened. Sure, the crowd was glaring at them for saying such things, but right now, none of that mattered to them. As long as their friend could turn things around, that was good enough.

Hearing these words, Clawitzer nodded and ignored the pain while lowering her right arm. She then opened up her pincers and used them to cut open the material, Slurpuff blinking as this was more than enough to cause him to drop her.

The shrimp took full advantage of this as she spun her body with her claw sticking outward. And before Slurpuff could even respond, he wound up taking a hard blow to his skull as the shrimp shouted, "CRABHAMMER!" causing him to once again fall on his back.

However, unlike before, she remembered the fragment of frosting that she had cut. As such, before it hit the mat, she held out her left arm and allowed her small claw to grab it, tossing it back to where it came from. After all, as long as it was still attached to Slurpuff's head, there was no way it could surprise her with a sneak attack.

Just like before, only Machop and the others were cheering while everyone else was praying for Slurpuff to recover. But after seeing him get out of spots like this so many times before, Clawitzer refused to let that happen as she sent one last strike to his face. As much as she wanted to go beyond that, she knew better than to stay close to the cake dog while he was down and thus she leapt away from him, waiting for him to rise to his feet.

'I've seen enough of your tricks,' Clawitzer thought, 'That hair reattachment was surprising, but now that I've seen that in action, I'm more than ready to end this match.'

"Things were looking rough, but Clawitzer has managed to escape from a very deadly move," Yuki stated, "And things get better for her as she lands her devastating Crabhammer."

However, it seemed Slurpuff was not in the least bit intimidated as he got back up, beamed and said, "You sure are smart, but you're not the only one who can break my hair."

The crowd was confused by these words until the cake dog formed two big fists with the sides of his hair, reeled it back and shouted, "FROSTING BOXING GLOVES!" before shooting the hair forward.

What shocked the crowd and Clawitzer was that after two seconds, the fists separated from the rest of the hair. However, the shrimp refused to let these hit her as she leaned backward, allowing them to fly over her and latch onto the ropes.

"I'll admit, that did catch me off guard, but that's hardly enough-" Clawitzer said only to be cut off when the frosting bounced off of the ropes, the fists forming again and hitting the backs of her shoulders. As such, she fell forward and landed on her chin, Machop and the others groaning in response to this.

"Just when we think we've figured him out, he finds a new way to surprise us," Garchomp growled as Meloetta whimpered, "Clawitzer can still win, right?"

It seemed this might not be the case as Slurpuff leapt onto the shrimp's back after the sides of his hair reconnected with the rest of it. He then placed those very spots against Clawitzer's chin and pulled upward, bending her back as he beamed bright and squealed, "This is fun!"

Needless to say, Clawitzer would need to find a way out of this otherwise she would surely meet the same fate as Torchic and Delphox. But could she possibly defeat an opponent this unpredictable?


	64. Chapter 64

Just as it seemed like Clawitzer had finally figured out Slurpuff's tactics, she was caught off guard by another surprising tactic. As if that was not enough, now she was on the receiving end of a camel clutch. What could she possibly do?

"This is just painful," Machop groaned as Isamu patted her on the shoulder and sighed, "Don't lose faith yet. Don't forget, we've seen her deal with worse. I'm sure she can get out of this."

Jackalu, meanwhile, watched this from the hospital with his teeth gritted, growling, "Come on, Clawitzer. Are you really going to let something as simple as this defeat you? Slurpuff may be good, but he's nothing more than a plump pastry."

And after a few seconds, Clawitzer seemed to realize this as she grunted, "You may be full of surprises, but you're not the only one!" as she lifting up her right arm and snipped that side of the hair in half. Before Slurpuff could even react, the shrimp rolled over to the side and sent her claw into his cheek, causing him to cough up a bit of blood and fall on his side.

This caused a member of the Swiss crowd to regain his senses as he grinned and exclaimed, "Way to go, Clawitzer!" another joining in and barking, "Keep it up!"

"Yeah, don't let him get the drop on you again!" Machop shouted as the shrimp nodded and smiled.

With that in mind, she picked up the clod of frosting left behind and reattached it to Slurpuff's hair so it would not rise up and attack her. And after that, she lifted the cake dog up and planted her left claw into his back, using her big claw to latch onto his stubby arm.

The cake dog whimpered in response to this as the Swiss fans were resisting the temptation to support him again. All the while, the rest of the crowd booed her as a teenaged girl spat, "Come on, Slurpuff! Get out of that!"

"As if I'd let him!" Clawitzer retorted as she leapt into the air and leaned backward, planting the back of Slurpuff's head into the canvas and shouting, "VICE LANCE SUPLEX!"

This caused him to cough up more blood as Machop and her friends cheered wildly, Nori exclaiming, "And once again, not only does Clawitzer manage to escape from Slurpuff's grip, but she also manages to land the very move that ended Jackalu's winning streak! If only he could witness this!"

Meanwhile, in the hospital, Jackalu had a big smile on his face as he thought, 'Great job, Clawitzer. You got this one in the bag. I just know it.'

And it seemed like she really could win this as before Slurpuff could even recover, she used this opportunity to deliver a strike with her big claw to his gut, causing him to cough up more blood. As such, the Swiss fans went wild as Rinko exclaimed, "YEAH, KEEP IT UP! YOU'RE AWESOME!"

'Before, it would have been dangerous to try this, but I can just feel that you're too weak to retaliate,' Clawitzer thought before landing another hit as Nori stated, "And it seems that suplex has taken a lot out of Slurpuff as all he can do is lie there and take in a series of Crabhammers."

"You know, this has to be the first time Slurpuff has taken in a slam move throughout the Olympics," Yuki added as Nori blinked and replied, "You're right, it is."

The rest of the crowd was mortified as even Delphox had not come close to dealing this much damage. But even so, it truly looked like the cake dog would finally lose and Clawitzer and Machop would face off in the finals.

After delivering six hits, Clawitzer lifted up her arm once more and barked, "Watch this, everyone, as this last hit will put Slurpuff out of commission for good!" but just as she sent it downward, her eyes widened when the cake dog's hair moved in front of his face, binding onto her claw and preventing it from going further.

Nervous sweat poured down the shrimp's face as Slurpuff briefly formed a wicked look in his eyes, saying, "I'll admit, I'm actually impressed," before reverting to his usual look and adding, "It's my turn now!"

'What the hell was that?' Clawitzer thought with terror in her expression, 'I've never seen that look from him before! No, there's just no way!'

Before she could contemplate this further, Slurpuff lifted her up and rose to his feet as the majority of the crowd cheered wildly, his fangirls waving pom-poms while chanting, "Slurpuff, Slurpuff, he's our guy! He'll kick some ass, we'll tell you why! Slurpuff, Slurpuff, he's so cool! This tournament's what he will rule! Go Slurpuff!"

Before Clawitzer could even think of a way out of this, Slurpuff squealed, "FROSTING WHACK-A-MOLE!" ramming her face into the canvas before flinging her high above the ring. He then proceeded to leap high above her level before wrapping his hair around himself, forming a perfect sphere.

"And after getting the upper hand back, Slurpuff sets up the move that defeated Torchic," Nori stated as Kelani whimpered in terror, Meloetta really hoping this would turn out well.

Unfortunately, Clawitzer could not think of a way out of this as the cake dog exclaimed, "CAKE POP CRUSHER!" planting himself into her back and sending her belly hard into the canvas. The shrimp coughed up blood as the Swiss fans panicked, the rest of the crowd cheering wildly once more.

"COME ON!" Machop cried out with irritation in her eyes, "She was so close!" Isamu patting her on the shoulder and sighing, "I really hope she can get another advantage like that."

"Well, look on the bright side," Noboru replied with a grin, "At least Slurpuff's not a villain like Ditta," Hana nodding and saying, "He's right."

Even so, the group really hoped Clawitzer could recover as Slurpuff formed a hammer-like shape with his hair. He then proceeded to send it into her back as she coughed up more blood, squealing, "Well, you got to beat me up while I was down! I figure I may as well have a turn!"

He then proceeded to strike her a second time, the shrimp unable to respond as Machop gritted her teeth, getting up and barking, "Come on, Clawitzer! You're so much better than this!" the others nodding as Rinko added, "I know you can do it! You've found a way around almost every one of his tactics! Surely you can bypass this one as well!"

The shrimp's eyes widened as she took in a third hit to her back, Slurpuff clapping his arms against his sides while singing, "I'm hammering the nail in, hammering the nail in! Hammer, hammer, hammering! Hammering the nail!" hitting her again.

Unfortunately for him, Clawitzer had started to ignore the pain now as she narrowed her eyelids, growling, "Don't count me out just yet!" as she rolled over onto her back and held out her arms, grabbing the hair the next time it can for her.

However, all this did was result in her claws getting stuck in the frosting. But just as it seemed like the shrimp had doomed herself, it seemed she fully intended on this as she let out a loud battle cry, throwing her arms backward and pulling Slurpuff over herself. The crowd gasped as his back made contact with the canvas, Clawitzer propelling herself into the air and flipping one-hundred-and-eighty degrees, her belly hitting the cake dog's as he squeaked in pain.

The Swiss fans cheered as the shrimp leapt off of Slurpuff, keeping her distance. After all, at this point, she could not afford to make another mistake.

Slurpuff's fangirls all stared in horror until he pushed himself up and breathed lightly with his tongue sticking out, and no one could blame him for his exhaustion. While this match had not lasted as long as his match with Delphox quite yet, Clawitzer was proving herself to be a much bigger challenge, especially with her vastly superior physical strength. If anything, the fact that the cake dog was still able to stand felt like a miracle.

And yet despite this being the first time he found himself panting during a match, he still had a big smile on his face. Was this an act or was he actually happy with how things had played out so far? It was as if this whole event was one big game to him.

Even so, Clawitzer would not allow him to get the drop on her again as she held up a defensive stance, Venipede sighing, "I just want this match to end already. It's great that Clawitzer's doing such a good job, but Slurpuff just continues to act like all the pain he's taking in means nothing. It's unsettling."

"I know what you mean," Rinko replied with a nod of her head, "I know he's not a villain, yet he gives off these really bad vibes. What if it's the exact same case as Ditta?"

Noboru blinked and stroked his chin, Machop whimpering, "You know, that is a possibility. Daddy had to deal with this constantly back in the day. Every tournament he joined had at least one villain sneak in and pose as a hero. Who's to say the same thing isn't happening again?"

Clawitzer, however, refused to let Slurpuff's smile intimidate her. As such, she reading herself for whatever he had planned, the cake dog saying, "I have to admit, this has been a lot of fun."

The shrimp saw this as nothing more than the sort of thing he usually said until he added, "I mean, I don't think I've ever met anyone who could hurt me this badly. I'm actually looking forward to seeing if you can deal even more pain to me. But mark my words. You can whale on me all you like, but you'll never beat me."

Some members of his fanclub stared at him in confusion. After all, these were not the same cutesy words he normally spoke. But even so, hearing all of this accompanied by a cheery, high-pitched voice helped them ignore this fact as they all started to cheer him on again.

Clawitzer narrowed her eyelids and thought, 'Alright, my attacks are clearly taking a toll on him. I can't stop now,' and thus she sprinted toward him as he sent his hair toward her. Luckily, the shrimp saw this coming as she leapt over it with her claw stretched out, shouting, "CRABHAMMER HANDLE!"

But just as the attack was about to make contact with the cake dog's face, the shrimp found herself unable to fly further as unlike when Delphox tried this, Slurpuff moved his hair inward. As a result, while the ends had still missed Clawitzer, she was now trapped in the middle of each side like a sandwich's filling.

It seemed Slurpuff was thinking of that very analogy as he extended his hair to resemble to rectangular slices of bread. He then turned his hair sideways, placing the right side against the mat while Clawitzer tried desperately to free herself.

"COME ON!" Machop cried as Eiko squeaked, "Fight it! I know you can get out of that!"

Unfortunately, it was too late as Slurpuff lifted the left side of his hair up, shouting, "ICE CREAM SANDWICH SLAP!" sending it hard into Clawitzer's gut.

Despite the fact that she had just been hit by frosting, this managed to deal considerable pain as she coughed up blood. And it only got worse from there as Slurpuff had the rectangles fold inward, trapping her in place as if she had just been stuffed into a spring roll.

He then proceeded to lift her up, shouting, "FROSTING BASEBALL BAT!" swinging the middle of his hair into the turnbuckle. Since the material was so soft, Clawitzer wound up taking in pain as she grunted in pain, Slurpuff continuing his assault as he swung her into another one.

The Swiss fans stared in horror as the Turkish and Japanese crowd cheered wildly. Yuki, all the while, blinked and said, "It seems Slurpuff is just full of surprises. After blocking the move that defeated Dragalge, he has once again trapped Clawitzer in place, leaving her unable to fight back.

Jackalu bolted upright in his bed and spat, "CLAWITZER!" only for his back to crack as he groaned, "Oh, right! I shouldn't move right now!"

However, after a few seconds, he took many deep breaths and slowly pushed himself up, grunting, "No! I can't just lie here and watch her get her ass kicked! I'm gonna go and cheer her on!"

But no sooner after leaving his bed did his back give way, the dog crying out in agony as a nurse ran toward the area, gasping, "You need to stay in bed!"

Jackalu let down many tears as she held him up by his shoulders, the dog whimpering, "Please, you gotta take me to the Saitama Super Arena right now! She needs me!"

The nurse bit her lower lip before sighing, "Look, I can't let you do that. You still need your rest," the dog nodding before asking, "Well, can you at least head there and give her this message? Or if you can't go, find someone who can."

The woman could see just how serious he was about this as she nodded with a sweet smile, replying, "Okay. I can at least do that much," Jackalu replying, "Thank you so much."

While he told the woman the message he wanted her to send, Clawitzer took in a hard blow to her back as she was once again swung into the turnbuckle. All the while, Slurpuff was laughing with delight and squealing, "This is so much fun!"

Machop gritted her teeth and growled, "Okay, now I really wish I was the one fighting him right now!" as Isamu let out a sigh and groaned, "No kidding. Clawitzer can't do a thing."

Suddenly, Vigoroth rose up and spat, "I'm not gonna stand for this! Are you!?" Meloetta shaking her head as she squeaked, "Come on, Clawitzer! I know you can get out of that!"

She then pumped her fist up and down while chanting, "Clawitzer! Clawitzer!" as Vigoroth nodded and started shouting her name as well.

Soon enough, the others joined in as did the Swiss fans. Hearing these words brought light tears to the shrimp's eyes as she thought, 'As much as I knew I would have to ignore my lack of support, it's so nice to at least have my country cheer for me. There's no way I can let them or anyone else down.'

With that in mind, she sported a more serious look as she let out a loud battle cry, Slurpuff actually looking scared for the time time as she used her arms to push hard against his frosting. And after a while, she managed to push it open just enough to slip out of it, taking many deep breaths as her fans and friends cheered wildly.

"Just as all seemed lost again, Clawitzer has managed to escape from her bindings!" Yuki exclaimed.

And the shrimp fully intended to take advantage of this as she leapt toward the spellbound Slurpuff, shouting, "CRABHAMMER HANDLE!" ramming her claw hard into his face and knocking him on his back as he coughed up blood.

"CLAWITZER'S SO COOL!" Machop shouted with a grin as Kelani nodded and cheered, "Yay, Clawitzer!"

But just as it seemed like the shrimp had the upper hand back, her eyes widened when she looked at the sides of Slurpuff's hair. A big chunk was missing from each and she would soon find out why as one big clump of frosting and two smaller ones fell from the sky, one hitting her legs and the other two covering her claws.

Things would only get worse from here as Slurpuff ignored the pain to his face and beamed. He then reattached the rest of his hair to the clumps and rose back to his feet, lifting the shrimp up and flipping her upside-down. He then proceeded to pull on the parts he had bound as her back started to bend.

Clawitzer cried out in pain as Machop growled, "Dammit! Every single time!" as Lairon sighed, "I know. Slurpuff just keeps pulling out one new ability after the next."

As if the pain dealt to Clawitzer's back was not bad enough, her claws had been covered and bound in place. As such, she could no longer rely on them to free herself. But even with that in mind, she tried her best to pry her arms out, pulling hard with a look of concentration on her face.

But just as it looked like all was long, a car pulled up outside of the arena. As it so happened, this belonged to the nurse as she exited and ran toward the entrance, hoping it was not too late to relay Jackalu's message.

Slurpuff applied more pressure to Clawitzer's back as she cried out in pain once more. She continued to try and pry her claws out of the frosting but to no avail as Machop and her friends cheered her on along with the Swiss fans.

Unfortunately, the shrimp was running low on energy after everything she had done as he breathed heavily, sweat pouring down her body. She then turned to the crowd and sighed, "Thanks for all the support, but I don't think I can get out of this. Machop, remember what you've seen from Slurpuff and use that to your advantage because it's pretty clear who the winner of this match is."

"HOLD IT!" came a feminine voice as everyone turned toward the entrance to see the nurse standing right there and breathing heavily before barking, "I have a message for you from Jackalu!"

"He's awake!?" Clawitzer retorted as Slurpuff stared at the nurse, thinking, 'Oh, hell no! You are not going to ruin everything for me!'

However, he could not attack her without being penalized as she stated, "Jackalu's been watching this match since it began! He wanted me to tell you that you should never stop trying! As long as there's even an ounce of fight left in you, you can do anything!"

Clawitzer let down light tears as even the crowd was invested in this, Machop smiling sweetly as the nurse added, "He also wanted me to tell you that, um," pulling out a sheet of paper and barking, "You're saucesome!"

She then blinked with confusion and uttered, "Saucesome? What does that mean?" as Clawitzer chuckled and said, "Thanks, Jackalu. You're saucesome too, and I'll make sure you see me win."

'No!' Slurpuff thought, trying his best to maintain a happy look as the shrimp let out a loud battle cry, pulling extra hard. The Swiss fans went wild when they noticed her claws start to slip free from the frosting, the cake dog tightening his grip.

"Yeah, get out of that!" Isamu barked as Meloetta added, "Show him what you're made of!"

"Let him know who the real winner is!" Vigoroth spat, Eiko and Kelani chanting Clawitzer's name.

And soon enough, the area erupted with cheers and chants, even the Turkish and Japanese crowd unsure of how to feel. As much as Slurpuff's cuteness entranced them, the fact that Jackalu had done his absolute best to get this message to the shrimp was touching, even if the last part of it was childish.

But despite all of the support from the crowd along with Clawitzer's efforts, it seemed all of this had expelled her energy as her eyes widened, a light gasp escaping her mouth. And with that, she closed her eyes as her pulling came to a halt, everyone staring in horror as Slurpuff beamed and squealed, "YIPPEE! NOW I CAN SHOW YOU MY SUPER DUPER FINISHER!"

At that moment, all of the cake dog's fans smiled with big hearts in their eyes, exclaiming, "YES, PLEASE! BLOW US AWAY!"

Slurpuff nodded and proceeded to wrap his hair all around Clawitzer. All the while, Yuki stated, "And with Clawitzer unable to fight back, Slurpuff is ready to end this for good."

Her eyes then widened as she asked, "Wait, is that legal? His opponent is clearly unconscious!" as Beedrill blinked and uttered, "Now that you mention it-"

But just as he was about to ring and bell stop Slurpuff from adding to the pain, he noticed one of Clawitzer's eyes open as he shrugged and replied, "I stand corrected. She still has some fight left."

Unfortunately, this was not enough as Slurpuff leapt high above the ring, aiming the shrimp's skull toward the canvas while embracing his hair. Machop and her friends watched in horror as the cake dog squealed, "BURRITO DRIVER!"

He then descended toward the mat as Clawitzer's head soon made contact. And with that, her energy had left her for good as her eyes closed up once more, Slurpuff unwrapping her and allowing her to collapse. And while it seemed unnecessary, Yuki had no choice but to start the ten count.

The Swiss fans along with Clawitzer's friends stared in stunned silence. They knew there was nothing she could do at this point yet they still wished she could get up.

And sure enough, Yuki reached ten as she rang the bell and exclaimed, "And after a very brutal match, Slurpuff is our winner and will fight Machop in the finals!" the majority of the crowd going wild as Machop tensed up, Isamu rubbing her shoulder with a light smile.

However, even he could not feel completely calm right now as Slurpuff bounced up and down, squealing, "YAY! I'M NUMBER ONE! I'M NUMBER ONE!" most teenaged girls in the crowd sighing, "We love you, Slurpuff!"

Jackalu's eyes and mouth were wide with horror as he watched this from his hospital bed. Light tears rolled down his cheeks as he soon replaced it with a smile, thinking, 'Don't feel too bad about this, Clawitzer. You did an amazing job.'

The nurse, however, did not seem to think so as she let out a disappointed sigh. It seemed her efforts were in vain as no one else could believe what they had seen either. It made sense, but they still had trouble accepting it.

Medics rushed into the ring to load Clawitzer up on a stretcher as Slurpuff waved happily at Machop, squealing, "I'm super excited for our match!" as the girl shuddered and groaned, "Now I'm dreading the finals even more."

"It's alright," Isamu replied with a warm smile, "I know you can do it."

Once Clawitzer and Slurpuff were out of the ring, Beedrill took a deep breath and stated, "Well, folks, that concludes the semi-finals. The final match will take place in the Tokyo Dome a week from now, meaning our finalists will have plenty of time to prepare themselves. We hope to see you there."

With all said and done, everyone was ready to head off as Machop took a deep breath and sported a more serious expression. She then turned to Lairon and said, "I'm gonna need as much help as I can get," the dinosaur nodding and replying, "But of course. Garchomp and I will make sure you're more than prepared for this."

Machop gave them each a sweet smile as Isamu gave her a peck on the cheek and a thumb up. With that, the girl started to feel more confident, but even so, she knew defeating someone like Slurpuff would not be easy.


	65. Chapter 65

With one week to go before the Olympic finals, things were intense. As much as Machop would have loved to spend some time with her friends, she figured using this time for training was a much better idea.

Currently, she was sparring with Garchomp while Isamu, Eiko, Kelani and Meloetta sat on the sidelines to watch. Lairon would have been there, but since the wait from now to the finals was long enough, he had to work. But despite that, Machop was doing a good job as she managed to dodge every one of the dragon's techniques.

Garchomp took a few deep breaths as the others gave her a round of applause, Machop grinning cutely until the dragon said, "You know, I think you're already good enough not to need basic training."

"What do you mean?" Machop asked as Garchomp sighed, "Well, you've seen Slurpuff in action plenty of times. He has a wide variety of techniques, all but one involving that hair of his. The worst part is that, well, most of these I'm not even sure if we can properly emulate."

"Don't forget, once that hair grabs you, it'll be a nightmare trying to get out of it," Isamu added as the girl cast him a glance. The boy tensed up as Eiko laughed nervously, saying, "He has a point there."

Machop then let out a sigh as she said, "You're right. Of all the opponents I've faced, this is probably the only one neither you nor Lairon can emulate. In fact, I'm not even really sure if all the training in the world could prepare me for that hair."

Garchomp shook her head and replied, "Well, I wouldn't completely say that. You've seen a huge number of abilities from him. I'm not sure how much he can possibly surprise us at this point. If anything, I think all you really need to do is remember what you've seen and base a strategy around that. Take some time to think of ways around his techniques. From what we've seen, I think it's safe to say the best tactic against Slurpuff is not to let him catch you."

Kelani blinked and said, "I thought the best way to beat him would be to eat his hair," everyone staring as Eiko laughed nervously and uttered, "As ideal as that sounds, I don't think eating that much frosting would be good for your health."

"Not to mention it's probably poisonous or something along those lines," Isamu replied with a shrug, "Besides, he's not a villain, so if Machop were to destroy his hair permanently, he wouldn't be able to fight evil in the future. We're trying to avoid that kind of outcome."

Kelani nodded and looked down with a sad look in his eyes. Eiko giggled in response and ruffled the fur atop his head with a sweet smile, this seeming to cheer him up right away.

Machop took a quick breath before smiling and saying, "Yeah, I'm sure I can win this. I just need to do the best I can."

Garchomp grinned before asking, "By the way, Machop, you know the crowd is likely going to boo you, and not just the Turkish fans for doing a good job, right?" the girl nodding and replying, "Yeah, I know. And don't worry about a thing. I'm mentally prepared to deal with that. Delphox and Clawitzer had no problem ignoring that, so I will too."

"Perfect," the dragon replied with a sigh of relief, "That's one less problem to worry about. You'll need all the focus you can get. Lord knows how Slurpuff is preparing for this match."

During this time, the cake dog in question was currently at a fast food restaurant with a legion of fangirls by his side. All of them had hearts in their eyes while a news reporter was currently giving him an interview.

"How does it feel having made it to the finals?" he asked as Slurpuff beamed and squealed, "It's so cool! I beat up all those other guys and now I might actually win the championship!"

"About that," the man enquired, "How will you go about your match with Machop? I'm sure you're already aware of this, but she has a stellar reputation. It's true that she lost her first match on Earth, but she has defeated every other opponent she's faced since then. Her family has a reputation for taking in all kinds of damage and still being able to get up. In fact, I'm sure you've seen that at work throughout this tournament so far, yes?"

Slurpuff nodded and replied, "Yeah, she's really, really strong, but I'm pretty sure I'll win anyway. But even if I lose, it's okay, because something my mommy always taught me is that it's not whether you win or lose. It's how you play the game."

He then winked at the camera as his fangirls all sighed, "That's so true, isn't it!?" the reporter wanting to gag, and yet something about Slurpuff's face made him think that maybe he should be just as enchanted as the others.

And before he knew it, he was having lunch along with them, feeling happy to know that the teenaged girls were paying for all of it with their allowance money. After all, Slurpuff would have much rather not spent his own, but why? It was common knowledge that heroes were given a fairly big weekly allowance by Hero Planet's government in exchange for their services, so it was not as if he could not afford this.

Whatever the case, no one would dare question the mentality of someone so adorable and seemingly innocent. Right now, all that mattered to them was that he defeat Machop and win the championship.

All the while, Torchic had left the hospital not too long ago and was walking with Vigoroth, sighing, "It's a shame I had to come out now of all times. I would have loved to have spent some time with Machop," as the sloth shrugged and replied, "I know, but remember, she has to focus on this tournament above all else. Once it's all over, we can get back to just hanging out and waiting for the next villain to show up."

"I really hope she mops the floor with that Slurpuff," the chicken growled, "I wanted to at least make it past the first round! Seriously, if he hadn't used his charms to turn the crowd against me and distract me, I probably would have won!"

"Easy does it," Vigoroth uttered with a nervous laugh while patting her on the shoulder, "Don't feel too bad. Both Delphox and Clawitzer ignored the jeers of the crowd and they still lost. Besides, better to have your first major loss be to a hero than a villain, right?"

Torchic let out a sigh and nodded, replying, "Guess you're right. As long as Machop cleans his clock, I'll be fine."

Meanwhile, Jackalu still had not made a full recovery, but Clawitzer had been moved to the same room as him. The dog looked at the curtain between them and sighed. If anything, he wished she could be awake right now so he could talk to her, but unfortunately, her beating from Slurpuff was far worse than what Torchic and Delphox endured.

He also really hoped Machop would be okay. He had seen her pull off some amazing things so far and yet he was still unsure about Slurpuff. Despite being a fellow hero, he seemed not only more powerful but also more dangerous than any villain the girl had faced. It was not just his abilities but also how sweet he always acted. Something about it was unnerving.

Either way, the dog had full confidence in her. After all, she had the Mach family spirit, something that had rarely ever been broken. And so far, it had already proven itself a force to be reckoned with.

During this time, Sneasel, Gigalith and Gyarados were on a walk as the serpent smirked and said, "So Machop showed you the light as well, eh?"

"Yeah, she's pretty amazing, isn't she?" the cat replied with a grin before sighing, "Still, that Slurpuff's kinda scary. Do any of you know him?"

Gigalith shook his head as Gyarados sighed, "If you're asking if I ever met him during my time as a villain, then no."

She then blinked and added, "You know, we haven't spent any time with Machop since we got here. I'm sure she can spare a few minutes," Gigalith perking up as Sneasel shrugged and replied, "If anything, we can probably help her train. After the way he ruined my chance, I wanna see him pay."

"To his defence, you did attack first," Gyarados uttered, Gigalith folding his arms and nodding as the cat laughed nervously, though the serpent still wanted to see the cake dog go down. Much like some of the others, she could just tell that there was something off about him.

"Say," Sneasel suddenly suggested, "what say we pay Machop a visit right now? With all her training, she probably hasn't left the house yet."

"Yeah, but I don't know the address," Gyarados groaned, "All she's told me is that she's living with Lairon and Garchomp," as Sneasel sighed, "Dammit. We really should have asked her about that. I don't even know her cell number."

Gigalith blinked and lifted up his right hand as if he was holding up a book, using his left hand to make a page turning motion. Sneasel nodded and said, "Hey, you're right, they might be in the White Pages," as Gyarados blinked and uttered, "That's what he was trying to get across?"

After another hour, Machop was taking a break as Meloetta had helped Garchomp make a light lunch. Machop had a big smile on her face as she said, "Excellent as always," Eri all the while playing with Kelani, who had eaten his quickly.

"It's still weird seeing that," Isamu uttered as he watched the doberman rub the collie's tummy, Eiko shrugging and replying, "Yeah, whenever I see them together, I have to remind myself which of them is more fully evolved."

At that moment, the doorbell rang as Garchomp blinked and said, "I wonder who it could be," as she got up from her seat and headed toward the door. And upon opening it, she grinned when she saw Gyarados, Sneasel and Gigalith there.

It was not long until all three were seated on the couch and visiting with the others. It had been a bit of a hassle for Gigalith to get in, but he ultimately found a way to fit through the door.

"Seriously," Gyarados said with a grin, "I'm not the least bit surprised to see you in the finals. If I can see anyone winning the championship, it's you," Machop smiling lightly and replying, "Well, it was very close, but thanks."

"By the way, sorry we couldn't exactly be there to see those matches," Sneasel said, "Every time we tried to come, Gigalith would stop to help random people in the streets. By the time we'd show up, they were already jam packed, so we watched them in our hotel suite."

"Oh, okay," Machop replied with a shrug, "I'm just glad you managed to see them," as Gyarados nodded and said, "Well, at least I got to see your match with Garbodor up close. Your ability to turn disadvantages in your favour astounds me. Whenever people tell me you lost your first match here, I have so much trouble believing it."

"Same here," Eiko replied as Isamu nodded and added, "Yeah, Machop's just too amazing for that."

Machop laughed nervously and replied, "If you knew the kind of fighter I was back then, you'd understand," before smiling at Garchomp and adding, "Thanks to you and Lairon, I'm in the finals."

The dragon laughed as the group continued their conversation for another half-hour. As much as Machop would have loved to talk more, she also wanted to get back to training soon, thus the trio decided to help out. After all, they were youthful and thus would have made for much more challenging sparring partners, especially Gigalith with his big stone body.

Machop started off with Sneasel. After having faced her before, it was a lot easier for her to dodge her attacks. As a result, she ended up dominating as the cat eventually gave up, giving her a right claw up.

Gyarados, meanwhile, proved to be a bit more of a challenge due to her newly-acquired abilities, but Machop ultimately managed to defeat her. And while Gigalith proved much more of a challenge, the girl still managed to overcome him, though he came close to defeating her.

The others applauded her as Isamu gave her a thumb up, saying, "Oh yeah, you're more than ready for this," the girl blushing lightly and replying, "I really hope so. It's just not as easy when we can't replicate his signature moves. I'd love to be able to at least practise ways to counter them, but, yeah, unlike my past opponents, it's kinda hard to find a way to emulate him, especially when his hair is made of a sticky substance."

Either way, Machop was glad the trio had come over to help. At the very least, she felt more confident. But at the same time, she knew it would be tough.

After two more hours, Isamu, Eiko and Kelani needed to head home and thus gave her a friendly goodbye. Of course, the boy stopped to share a brief kiss with Machop, wishing her the best and promising to visit her every chance he got. After all, he wanted to give her all the support he could, even if he was not strong enough to spar with her like Rinko was.

When Lairon finally arrived home from work roughly one hour later, he and Machop had a few rounds of their own. Somewhere in the middle of it, Garchomp opened the door to the yard and said, "Hey, we've got another guest."

"Another guest?" the dinosaur asked as Machop nodded, Gallador entering the area and saying, "Hey, Machop. How's training going?"

Machop grinned and squealed, "It's going well! Did you stop on by to help me prepare myself?"

"Well, that's part of why I came here," the white boy replied, "Since we're not going to have an official match, I was thinking maybe we could have a match right here and now. Not only will we finally find out which of us truly is better, but I think it would really help you prepare yourself for the big match, wouldn't you say?"

Machop blinked and turned to Lairon. The dinosaur folded his arms and grinned, saying, "I think it's a good idea. After all, he was supposed to be your semi-finals opponent and you've still got six days after this one to prepare yourself."

Gallador and Machop were both really happy to hear this as the white boy gave her a smirk and held up his arms, asking, "So, you feel up to it right now?"

"Well, actually, I just got done sparring," Machop uttered only for the white boy to charge at her, exclaiming, "Well then, if you can defeat me in your current state, you'll definitely be ready for Slurpuff!"

Machop's eyes widened as she took in a flying kick to her face, Lairon stepping to the side and exclaiming, "It would seem that Gallador has started this match early!" before knocking on the wall twice as if he was ringing a bell.

Garchomp gasped at the sight of this and grinned, sitting cross-legged and saying, "This is exciting," as Meloetta and Eri entered the area, the green-haired girl asking, "What's going on?"

Machop gritted her teeth as the white boy sent another kick toward her. However, now that she knew what was going on, she would not allow him to land another hit, thus she allowed the foot to hit her before latching her arm to it.

Gallador's eyes widened as the girl swung him around, flinging him toward the tree. Unfortunately for her, the white boy was ready for this as he leaned his head backward, thus allowing his spike to hit it as opposed to the back of his head. However, he very quickly regretted it when he tried to pry himself out only to discover he had been lodged too far into it.

Machop saw a perfect opportunity as she raced toward him, taking hold of his ankles and folding them, Lairon exclaiming, "And it would seem Gallador's defensive manoeuvre has backfired as Machop takes full advantage of his current situation!"

Meloetta beamed as Machop applied just enough force to pry his head out without doing extra damage to the tree. She then leaned backward and planted the white boy's chin into the ground. But it seemed he was prepared for this as he wriggled her feet free from her grasp and wrapped his legs around her shoulders.

Machop's eyes widened as she found herself lifted up, her skull making contact with the ground as Gallador released his hold on her shoulders. But it did not end there as he took full advantage of this, flipping himself over and wrapping his legs around her neck for a figure-four headlock.

"Truly astounding!" Lairon stated, "Gallador hasn't even used his blades yet and still seems to have the upper hand," the white boy laughing and asking, "What is this? Is this really the same cousin who pulled off all those impressive counters against someone using Machamp's abilities?"

"Unfortunately for you, I can escape from this easily," Machop retorted with a smirk as she spun her body around. This caused Gallador to loosen his hold as she sprang to her feet, taking a deep breath with a smirk.

"I have to admit, that actually surprised me," she said, "I don't think I've ever seen you fight quite like that before," as Gallador nodded and remarked, "Well, I figured you'd already prepared yourself to deal with my regular moves."

Machop grinned as she leapt toward him with her arm out, but just as it looked like she was going to land her Moon Hook, she gasped when Gallador held up his own arms with the blades facing forward. With that, not only did he block the incoming strike, but he also put two cuts her arm.

The girl cried out in pain as Gallador latched onto that very spot and said, "I thought for sure you'd have seen that coming," before flipping her onto her back.

He then proceeded to leap into the air before flipping himself one-hundred-and-eighty degrees, his arm blades crossed and facing Machop's gut. But just as he was about to connect the move, Machop gasped and rolled out of the way just in time for his blades to put an X in the ground.

"What the hell?" Machop uttered, "I thought Ditta invented that move!" as Gallador nodded and replied, "I watched what happened before I arrived online, and I have to admit, this move is actually pretty cool."

"Well, I would get on your case for borrowing a move from a villain, but then again, Uncle Gallade did the same thing with Bisharp's Swords Dance," Machop replied with a shrug as Gallador nodded and added, "Any move can be good if in the right hands."

Meloetta nodded and smiled lightly, saying, "I never really thought about that," as Garchomp said, "He's right, too. Some would argue that it's shameful to rely on something a villain used, but if it helps protect the innocent, it's worth it."

Gallador was not finished, though, as he stood on the tips of his feet and spun toward Machop with his blades pointed outward, shouting, "SWORDS DANCE!"

But just as he was about to strike the girl, she ducked down and sent a sweep kick into his ankles. As such, the white boy ended his assault, his eyes and mouth wide open as he just about fell on his back.

However, less than a second before that could happen, Machop latched onto his ankles and threw her arms downward, adding to the damage. She then proceeded to walk behind Gallador, lifting him up by the spike atop his head before latching onto his wrists and pulling back.

Garchomp clapped as Lairon exclaimed, "And it would seem Gallador has been set up for Machoke's last signature move!" and it appeared so as Machop leapt high into the air, latching onto the white boy's ankles and bending his back.

She then spun around like a twister, flipping herself one-hundred-and-eighty degrees. She then applied extra force, preventing Gallador from moving his head forward while shouting, "MUSCLE TORNADO!"

And sure enough, the white boy was unable to retaliate as his face made contact with the ground. Machop released her hold and allowed him to collapse, breathing heavily as Garchomp, Meloetta and Lairon all started a ten count.

Gallador's body twitched briefly, but ultimately stopped as the move had taken just enough out of him. And thus ten seconds were reached as Lairon pounded his fist against the wall and exclaimed, "And with that, Machop is our winner!" Meloetta and Garchomp giving her a round of applause.

Machop rose her arms in the air as Gallador regained just enough strength to slowly rise to his feet. He then rubbed his face and grinned, saying, "Wow, that was incredible."

"I didn't apply too much pressure, did I?" the girl asked as he shook his head and replied, "Nope. That was just enough. And honestly, I'm just really glad we could have this match, especially since I'll be taking off tomorrow."

"Wait, what!?" Machop squeaked as Gallador sighed, "Yeah, see, my partner wasn't so sure about me taking off for the Olympics, and I'm sure the more she goes without me to help her, the more worried she'll get. I figure as long as I'm not competing anymore, I may as well head on back to Bhopal."

"Wait, you're living in India?" Machop uttered as the white boy nodded and chuckled, replying, "Now that you mention it, I probably should have told you a while ago."

Either way, as much as Machop would have loved for her cousin to be there to cheer her on, she understood perfectly why he had to leave. Thus she shook his hand and gave him a nice goodbye, the white boy exiting the back yard and heading for the front door.

And once he was off, Machop suddenly thought of something as Lairon patted her on the shoulder and said, "You'd probably better rest after that fight. You can pick up on training tomorrow, but I'd hate for you to strain yourself."

"Of course," the girl replied as she headed up to her room, Meloetta smiling and saying, "Gallador's so nice. I wish I had a cousin like him."

As Machop entered her room, she slumped down on her bed and pulled out her cell phone. She then took a deep breath and thought, 'I know it's gonna cost me, but this has to be done,' before dialling a few numbers.

After a while, she got a response as she grinned and squeaked, "Hi, Daddy! Is Mama there!?"

The girl listened to the reply before saying, "Right," turning on the speaker as Gardevoir's voice came from the other end, saying, "Hi, Machop. I wasn't expecting to hear from you tonight."

"No kidding," Machoke added, "So, what's up? You know, we've been watching your matches on TV and we couldn't be more proud. The way you handled Ditta was amazing."

"Yeah, about the tournament," Machop said, "I was just wondering if you two were gonna be there to watch the match."

"Well, of course," the man replied, "A tradition with the Olympic finals is that six former Olympic participants must attend and your mother and I have been chosen along with Scyther. I believe Garchomp has to attend as well seeing as she fought Lucario in the semi-finals, though we're yet to get word of that."

"Cool," Machop said with a sweet smile, "I can't wait to see you. I have to admit, I've done a lot of preparing already, but I'm still nervous. My final opponent is really intimidating."

"Oh yes, we've seen his matches," Machoke sighed, "Seriously, I'm getting really bad vibes from him," as Gardevoir added, "But don't you fret, Machop. Do your absolute best, and if you lose, remember, at least he's not a villain."

The family talked a bit more before saying their goodbyes, Machop hanging up and taking a deep breath. She then folded her arms behind her head and thought, 'Yeah, I can do this. I just know it.'


	66. Chapter 66

The week had passed by quickly as Machop got in as much training as she could get. Every now and then, she would enjoy some downtime with her friends, but these moments were low in number as right now, all she could think about was how she would end Slurpuff's winning streak. And since the cake dog had done nothing to prepare himself for the match, her chances looked higher.

The day before the match could begin, many were gathered around the airport where a plane had just landed. And sure enough, the passengers were the previous Olympic contestants that Machoke spoke of.

All the while, Nori and Yuki were there as the older woman stated, "We are here live at Narita International Airport where eight of the legendary heroes who partook in the twenty-second Hero Olympics have arrived to grace us with their presence! But as exciting as this is, it has nothing on the event happening before the big match tomorrow!"

"That's right," Yuki added, "As it just so happens, four of these heroes are going to compete in an exhibition tornado tag match, and as an added bonus, two will partake in a singles match afterwards! Having not seen them in action myself, I'm beyond excited!"

"Why didn't you watch the footage I sent you?" Nori uttered as Yuki laughed nervously and replied, "I wanted to be surprised by their skills tomorrow. I'll watch those matches once the Olympics are over."

"You know we're still rolling, right?" the cameraman asked as both stared wide-eyed at the lens.

Luckily, the people in the area were too focused on the plane to care as the door opened up, the ramp lowering. And the first two to emerge were the bluish-grey reptilian man, Machoke and his beautiful wife, the white and green woman with a lower body like a gown, Gardevoir. The man was dressed in a fancy suit and tie while Gardevoir wore the red jersey and spiked collar he had given her ages ago.

While the people cheered, Gardevoir waved lightly with her arm linked to Machoke's. The man smiled wide and waved excitedly, shouting, "Thank you so much! It's been a long time since I got cheers like this!" blowing a few kisses to the crowd.

Nori beamed and squealed, "I can't help it! It's so awesome to see those two again!" as Yuki sighed, "Oh, right, I forgot they're your favourite heroes of all time."

Following Machoke and Gardevoir was another legend, the Olympic champion of his time, Lucario. The dog gave the audience a light wave and smiled while a beautiful young woman with silver hair joined him.

"Hey, Mom, who's that?" Yuki asked as Nori replied, "Why, that's Lucario's wife, Veronica. Would you believe her folks were initially against their relationship? It's also worth note that human mates usually aren't allowed to ride the plane with the heroes, but Lucario convinced Beedrill to make an exception."

Next up was Scyther who held her arm up with pride, a grin on her face as a humanoid rose named Roserade exited behind her. Upon doing so, she immediately posed and winked for the various cameras in the area. Though strangely enough, she, too, was dressed in a jersey, only this one was thinner and violet.

Gardevoir turned to her and waved, squealing, "I told you they'd love it!" the rose woman waving back and replying, "Yeah! Thank you so much for the suggestion!"

"It's hard to believe how much you two used to hate each other," Machoke uttered as the woman nodded, replying, "Well, I didn't think she'd actually take my words to heart."

She looked back to the time she and Roserade fought in the first round in the twenty-second Hero Olympics. Back then, the rose woman was a shallow brat who believed every pretty girl on the planet needed to follow her example of what she believed was attractive. Right from the get-go, she had come across as extremely arrogant to the point where she was the first being Gardevoir truly hated. And even after their match, they still despised each other. Needless to say, seeing them get along this well now was truly amazing.

Next to step out of the plane was a blue duck by the name of Golduck. She shot the crowd a grin while wearing a T-shirt she had made herself. On it was a picture of Machoke's face as she had become a big fan of his after he defeated her in round two.

The next to emerge was a light-brown rabbit named Lopunny. She was currently dressed in a fancy white dress with a golden rim across the top. She was the only one more excited to receive all these cheers as she bounced up and down, waving to the crowd.

And the last to emerge was Barbaracle as he waved his shoulder hands to the crowd. Some people were intimidated by the single eye on each one, but all-in-all, it was certainly amazing to see all of these older fighters.

As it so happened, both Garchomp and Lairon had arrived as they wished to see this, Nori saying, "By the way, Garchomp was originally supposed to be one of our special guests, but we figured since she already lives in Tokyo, it would be pointless to send her to Hero Planet and get ready for this. And as it so happens, she and her husband, Lairon, are here right now."

The crowd cheered for them as the two grinned and waved, Lucario smiling and saying, "So it's true. They really did get married," Machoke resting a hand on his shoulder and replying, "Yeah. They're training my daughter, you know."

"Is that right?" the dog replied with a grin, "Well, I say she's in good hands," Gardevoir smiling sweetly as the dragon and dinosaur walked over to say a quick hello.

"It's so good to see you, Lucario," Garchomp said with a grin, "You're looking well," as Veronica smiled and asked, "Do you want to introduce me, darling?"

The dog nodded and did just that, the group starting up a conversation. And after a minute, Barbaracle and Golduck walked over to join the conversation.

"Quick heads-up," Machoke stated after a bit more talking, "Aipom's supposed to arrive today on the bullet train. It'll be nice to see the old girl again."

The dragon had a big open-mouth smile upon hearing this as she exclaimed, "Oh, I can't wait to see her! I almost forgot, we were planning to meet up during holidays! This is my chance!"

Meanwhile, Meloetta was watching all of this on TV as she looked at Eri and asked, "You think I should go there and meet them?" only for the dog to give her a blank stare, the green-haired girl sighing, "You're right. This is their time."

She then looked in the back yard and noticed Machop training herself as she beamed and stepped out, asking, "Hey, Machop, can I spar with you for a while?"

"Wait, what?" the girl remarked with her eyes wide open, "You actually want to spar," as Meloetta nodded and replied, "I know I'm usually opposed to fighting unless it's against a villain, but you have no one else to do this with. I figure it's only right to help you out in Lairon and Garchomp's absence."

Machop gave her a light smile and said, "You're a real pal," before holding her fists up and adding, "But don't expect me to go lightly," the green-haired girl giggling in response before standing up on one foot.

During this time, Garchomp, Machoke and Gardevoir waited in the subway for the bullet train to come by. And soon enough, it did as the doors opened, all of them hoping Aipom would emerge. And sure enough, it seemed this was the one as a purple monkey with a hand on the end of her tail emerged with a big grin on her face. As she was four years younger, she had less wrinkles but not by a whole lot.

Upon seeing the trio of older heroes, she grinned and sprinted over, leaping onto Machoke's face and knocking him on his back, squealing, "It's so good to see you!" the man groaning, "Even after all these years, you still insist on doing this?"

Gardevoir broke out into hysterics as Aipom laughed nervously, rising to her feet and helping him up. She then bowed her head to the woman, saying, "You look lovely as ever."

"Um, hi," Garchomp uttered with a light wave as the monkey turned to face her, a big smile forming as she said, "Guess we can finally have our get-together, eh?"

It was not long until all four were at a local cafe. They had chatted for quite a while when Machoke asked, "So, how's Yoshinori?" the monkey replying, "He's doing well. Thanks to yours truly, he gets nothing but A's on his report cards."

"Figures," Machoke replied with a light smile, "After all, he does have the smartest mother in the world," as Gardevoir nodded and asked, "Is he still planning to become a doctor?"

"After he found out the hours, not so much anymore," Aipom replied with a sigh, "Though on the upside, he has taken a big interest in banking."

"Baking?" Machoke uttered as the monkey sighed, "I said BANKING."

She then turned to Garchomp and asked, "So, you and your husband are training Machop, eh?" the dragon nodding and replying, "I'm not so sure she really needs us that much anymore. She's come such a long way."

"So I've heard," Machoke replied with a grin, "I can't wait to see her in action tomorrow. That is, after our exhibition match," grinning at Gardevoir who squeaked, "That was supposed to be a surprise!"

"Eh, I already figured you two would be one of the teams fighting tomorrow," Garchomp replied with a shrug, "You're the only famous tag team here. I'm more curious as to who you're going to fight."

"Oh, I believe we're going up against-" Machoke uttered until Gardevoir held her hand over his mouth and squeaked, "Don't spoil the surprise!"

Garchomp broke out into hysterics and exclaimed, "Oh my god, you two are still adorable!" as both retorted, "Are not!" before sticking out their tongues and laughing playfully.

The dragon then let out a sigh and said, "Anyway, it's really nice to see you, Aipom. I still feel like I haven't properly thanked you for saving my life all those years back," the monkey nodding and replying, "It's all good. I'm just really happy to see you, too."

She then turned to Machoke and added, "I really wish I could stay for Machop's match, but, well, we on the Osaka work force aren't as lucky as you guys. We still have to work."

"So does that mean you won't even be able to catch it on TV?" the man uttered as she sighed, "I'm afraid so. But I really hope she wins. I mean, when was the last time a member of the Mach family became champion?"

Machoke let out a sigh and said, "Yeah, it has been ages, but I just know it'll happen," before tapping his chin and adding, "You know, I still haven't rubbed the fact that Lucario's son lost the quarter-finals in his face yet."

"Honey, that's mean!" Gardevoir retorted with a pout as the man sighed, "I'm joking."

After another five minutes, the group headed off as Aipom mostly wanted to look around Tokyo one last time before heading back. After all, she had no intention of staying for most of the day, let alone all of it.

Meanwhile, Machop and Meloetta's sparring match had gone for a while as the green-haired girl twirled toward Machop and sent a variety of kicks into her midsection. But just as it looked like Machop was unable to fight back, she smirked and held out her hand, grabbing Meloetta's leg while applying the other hand to that same spot. She then lifted her up and swung her around, sending her flying into the tree.

The green-haired girl squeaked from the pain and slid down, rubbing the back of her head and grunting, "Okay, I give! You're too good for me!" a sweet smile on her face.

"Wow, you put up a much better fight than I thought you would," Machop said with a grin as Meloetta blushed lightly and replied, "Well, I didn't want to disappoint you."

"I'm beyond grateful for that," the girl replied with a sigh before saying, "Anyway, I'd probably better rest up. After all, if I try too hard, I might just strain myself."

Meloetta nodded and squealed, "I just know you'll beat Slurpuff tomorrow! He won't know what hit him!"

At that moment, both heard the front door open as Machop blinked and said, "Huh, I didn't think they'd be back yet," before heading off and seeing that while Lairon had not returned home, Garchomp had along with Machoke and Gardevoir.

The girl's eyes sparkled as a big open-mouth smile formed on her face. She then ran over and gave them a big hug, squealing with excitement while both held her in a tight embrace.

"It's so awesome to see you!" she squeaked as Meloetta tensed up, Garchomp nodding and saying, "I had a feeling it would be nice to bring them over for a visit."

Machoke grinned and held his daughter's shoulders, saying, "You have made us so proud. We've seen your matches and let me tell you, you are definitely worthy of the family name."

Gardevoir nodded and added, "By the way, we heard you have a boyfriend," a devious look forming in her eyes as she asked, "So, is he big, strong and handsome like your father?"

"Well, he's not exactly the easiest on the eyes, but he's wonderful," Machop replied as her cheeks turned light pink.

The two adults then noticed Meloetta as she felt more tense, uttering, "Um, hi. I'm Meloetta."

A sweet smile formed on her face as Machoke grinned and replied, "Well, it's very nice to meet you. I heard there was someone else living here," before holding out his hand.

The green-haired girl gladly shook it along with Gardevoir's and asked, "So you're Machop's parents. I've heard you two won a tag team tournament. Is that true?"

"You'd better believe it," Machoke replied with a grin when Eri suddenly bounded into the area, wagging her tail and panting happily.

"Oh, who's this little cutie?" Gardevoir squeaked as she leaned down and started stroking her, Garchomp saying, "That's our little Eri. She loves pretty much everyone."

And with Machop having decided that she was done training, everyone chose to spend the rest of the day visiting and having a good time. Machoke even agreed to treat everyone to a fancy dinner later in celebration of his daughter making it to the finals. After all, this would be his last time visiting Tokyo for a while, so he and Gardevoir wanted to spend as much time with her as possible while also putting her mind at ease.

As much as Machop would have loved to invite the others, she could tell Machoke and Gardevoir wanted this to be a family bonding time. As such, she chose to only invite Isamu as the parents did at least wish to meet him.

And sure enough, he was currently getting ready while trying to pick out something nice to wear, Eiko all the while sitting on his bed and squealing, "Oh my god, you are so lucky! Please, please, please, take a photo with them! Maybe even get their autograph! Just something!"

"For god's sake," Isamu sighed, picking out a suit his folks had bought him for when he graduated high school, "You're best friends with heroes, you've been in the same house as two legends multiple times and yet you still can't control yourself."

"How can I!?" the pink-haired girl retorted with a look of desperation in her eyes, "We're talking about Machoke and Gardevoir! These aren't just your typical run-of-the-mill past generation heroes! They're the tag team tournament champions! They have the highest number of victories of every hero from their time!"

"Look, sis, you don't need to beg me," Isamu replied as he put the suit one, pulling a tie out of a drawer and adding, "I was already planning to do that anyway. After all, this is a date. I gotta take at least one photo."

Eiko's eyes sparkled as she squealed happily, Isamu sighing, "Why aren't you looking after Kelani?"

"I would be, but he's playing by himself in our room," she replied, "I didn't wanna disturb him."

During this time, Kelani was currently playing with the pink-haired girl's action figures, specifically the Machoke and Lucario ones. He was making them fight with each other when suddenly, the hexagons on his chest started to glow once more. Unlike before, though, he actually noticed this time as he blinked and uttered, "Pretty."

But just as quickly as the glowing started, it stopped as he patted his chest a couple of times. However, it seemed nothing happened this time as he continued to stare with a confused look on his face.

Either way, it seemed as if the glow had done nothing as he shrugged and went back to playing. Though as he had not seen the glow before, he did not notice that it lasted longer than every other time. Was this something to worry about or was this just normal for him?

That would have to wait as when the evening rolled around, Machop, Machoke and Gardevoir were all at a fancy diner with Isamu seated next to Machop. And despite his behaviour toward this earlier, he was feeling just as nervous as Eiko would have if she had come with him. It was not so much being in the presence of two champions but rather having dinner with his girlfriend's parents for the first time.

"So, Machop tells me you work part time at a clothing store," Machoke said with a grin as the boy nodded and replied, "Uh, yeah. Both my sister and I are trying to save up money so we can get into college sooner than later, you know."

"That's wonderful," Gardevoir squealed with a grin before turning to her husband and whispering, "He's so responsible."

Isamu tensed up, wondering exactly what she had just whispered. However, Machop could always tell what Gardevoir was thinking as she whispered, "They like you. Tell them more."

The boy felt a tad more confidence upon hearing that as he revealed more information about himself, such as his devotion to keeping his sister safe while not being as clingy about it as he used to be. He also mentioned how much of a fan Eiko was and how much it would mean to her to have a photo of the two and each one's autograph.

Machoke and Gardevoir happily posed for a photo with Isamu, Machop using the boy's phone to take it. And afterwards, each one signed a sheet of paper the boy had brought.

Afterwards, Machoke grinned and said, "I hope we get to meet your sister. She sounds awesome," as Gardevoir replied, "Don't forget, she might be at the Tokyo Dome tomorrow."

The woman then gasped and added, "Before I forget, Isamu, Machoke and I are going to be in an exhibition match at ten. You'll wanna come bright and early for that," as the man rolled his eyes and sighed, "Are you spoiling the surprise for him?"

The woman gasped and held her hand over her mouth, the man laughing and shouting, "You are so precious!" ruffling her hair while a few people stared.

However, what astounded Isamu was not so much the news of the event but the fact that almost instantly after Gardevoir's hair had been ruffled, it changed back to being perfectly straight. It was if Machoke had never even touched it.

Machop nodded and explained, "Oh yeah, Mama's hair is naturally straight. No matter what you do, you can't make it stay messy. Oh, and you can't cut it either. It instantly grows back."

"And I assume it never gets longer either," the boy replied as the girl nodded, Gardevoir giggling and blushing lightly.

And soon enough, dinner was over as both couples were ready to head home. Machoke grinned and said, "It was great seeing you, but we already have a hotel booked for us and paid for by the government. I hope to see you kick some major ass tomorrow, hon," as Machop nodded and gave them a light wave.

And with all said and done, they went their separate ways as Isamu grinned and said, "You know, your dad is a lot less intimidating than I thought the team tournament champion would be," as Machop nodded and replied, "You'd never believe it, but he used to be a coward."

"You're kidding," the boy replied with his eyes wide open, Machop shaking her head and remarking, "Nope. According to Mama, he tried to bail on his match with Lucario. Hard to believe considering his track record, but then again, Venipede used to be afraid of combat and look at him now."

Isamu nodded and rested an arm on Machop's shoulder, saying, "Well, if someone like him could make it big, I have no doubt you'll win your finals match for sure. Slurpuff may be a scary opponent, but he's never faced a member of the Mach family, right?"

"Exactly," the girl replied with a big grin as the two shared a hug.

Once the two came to Lairon's house, Machop gave Isamu a big kiss goodbye before entering. She had already felt confident before, but now there was little doubt in her mind. Slurpuff would lose the finals no matter how unpredictable he was.


	67. Chapter 67

After what felt like a really long week for many, it was finally time for the big event, the Hero Olympic finals. However, Machop and Slurpuff's match was not scheduled to start until noon, but despite this, everyone arrived around nine as the exhibition matches that were promised were set to begin at ten.

As was expected, most work places were closed for this day as just about everyone was assembled at the Tokyo Dome. As such, not only were Noboru and Hana able to attend but so was Lairon. It also helped that Sneasel, Gigalith and Gyarados had managed to gain entrance this time, what with the Tokyo Dome having significantly more seats than every other location.

Currently, Isamu and the others were headed to the area with the bleachers as Torchic sighed, "It's a shame Jackalu and Clawitzer couldn't join us. It's amazing how much damage they took in. Even I didn't suffer that much when I fought Slurpuff."

"Well, Jackalu's apparently fine," Vigoroth replied, "He just refuses to leave Clawitzer's side, at least until she recovers," Meloetta smiling and squealing, "That's so sweet of him!"

Eiko, meanwhile, grinned with excitement as Kelani looked at her and said, "You're really looking forward to this, aren't you, Mommy?"

The pink-haired girl nodded and squeaked, "You bet! I'm finally gonna see the great Machoke and Gardevoir fight in person! This is the best day ever!" Isamu sighing, "Hey, don't forget Machop."

"What about Machop?" Eiko uttered as Kelani nudged her, the girl's eyes widening as she squeaked, "Oh, right!" her cheeks turning pink while the others laughed.

Noboru then chuckled and said, "But seriously, I'm looking just as forward to these exhibition matches. It's been ages since your mother and I saw these two fight way back when," Hana nodding and replying, "Oh, yes, that epic showdown when Machoke and Gardevoir fought Hoopa and Diancie was truly amazing, specially when Diancie turned against Hoopa and helped them out."

"Oh yeah, even to this day, that was the greatest match I've ever seen," Noboru added as Isamu blinked and uttered, "Wow, sometimes I forget they were fighting evil during your teen years," as Hana nodded and said, "Oh yes, I still remember Machoke's first match on Earth when he faced Rotom. Did you know he almost became an hors d'oeurve during that match?"

"Wait, what?" Isamu retorted as Eiko replied, "I thought you watched that match," only for the boy to sigh, "I've only watched his tournament matches."

"Well, it was a very close call from what Mother told me," Torchic stated, "Apparently, Rotom transformed into an oven and stuffed Machoke into him," Venipede tensing up and groaning, "Thank god we've never had to face anyone like that!"

"Ja," Rinko replied with a grimace, "Even I'd hate to fight a sentient oven."

"Oh, he almost became an hors d'oeurve," Isamu uttered with a nod of his head, "Now I get it. How'd he get out of that situation?" no one wanting to talk about it as Noboru chuckled nervously and replied, "Best you see it for yourself."

Meanwhile, Machop was getting ready in a waiting room along with Lairon, asking, "So, what's today's entrance?"

"Well, whenever your father would compete in the finals of any tournament, he'd give a more dignified entrance," Lairon replied, "As such, I'm thinking that should be your approach as well."

"Wait, so you mean no stupid floats?" Machop asked with her eyes sparkling, "No trapeze acts or unicycles or anything ridiculous like that?"

"Exactly," the dinosaur stated with a grin, "You just walk toward the ring with confidence. No acrobatics or anything like that, just a simple march toward the ring. It'll really throw the crowd off guard, what with them now being used to ridiculous entrances."

"So there was more of a reason behind them than I first thought," Machop uttered as she grinned and said, "Well, it'll be nice to look dignified for a change, though I have to admit, I have rather warmed up to those over-the-top performances."

"I thought you would," Lairon replied with a grin, "Anyway, let's work on strategies. Don't forget, we got a little over two hours to do this," the girl nodding and squealing, "Right!"

Once ten o'clock rolled around, everyone was ready for the first event as Beedrill exclaimed, "Ladies and gentlemen, you are all about to witness something just as exciting as the main event! Yes, we are going to be treated to an exhibition match between two teams and another one between two other legendary heroes immediately after!"

"I say we get this match underway right now, don't you?" Nori asked with a grin as the wasp nodded and added, "Take it away, Yuki!"

The younger woman pulled out a sheet of paper and stated, "In the red corner, a lovely yet very intimidating couple! Both have saved Tokyo and even the world from evil many times back in the day! One placed second in the Hero Olympics and the other made it to round two with her surprising amount of strength! Presenting the Glamourous Fighting Machines!"

Machoke and Gardevoir rode toward the ring on a float as music played in the background, Gardevoir holding a microphone in her hand as everyone stared in stunned silence. It had been known ever since the first round of the Ultimate World Team Tournament that the woman had a singing voice like an angel, so to hear her perform in front of all these people was a real treat.

"In a flash, she appears, the green warrior stands tall!" she belted as the crowd cheered, "Once down on herself all the time, now she will never ever fall! With a great family power hidden deep inside her soul, to protect the lives of the innocent is her goal!"

Eiko's eyes sparkled as Isamu uttered, "Wait, is she singing her own theme song?" the pink-haired girl nodding and squealing, "Yeah, she performed the original recording for it."

"Wow, she's pretty," Kelani said with a big open-mouth smile as Garchomp nodded and sighed, "Still, it's amazing to think of how good she got. When I fought her, she lacked the physical strength to stand up to me. I think if I fought her after the Olympics, she'd have probably won."

The song went for a while until Gardevoir ended it by singing, "When that violet glow appears, you know it's gonna end!" before taking a bow while the crowd gave her a standing ovation.

Her cheeks were beet red as Machoke grinned and said, "Beautiful as always," the two stepping off of the float and into the ring while Garchomp blinked and uttered, "Wow, that was actually dignified."

"Oh yeah, weren't his entrances usually like the ones Machop does?" Rinko asked as the dragon nodded and replied, "Yeah, though his were usually less graceful."

"And in the blue corner," Yuki stated, "though these two never fought on a team back in the day, their allies fought alongside each one individually. But as these two are still great friends, there is no doubt they'll make for a great team anyway. One is, well, one of Rinko's mothers and taught her the Arm Schwert. The other is a mighty rabbit from Egypt with a spirit unmatched by many! Introducing the High-Flying Blades!"

The crowd went wild once more as Scyther flew toward the ring with Lopunny standing perfectly on her back with her arms and ears spread out. She then leapt off and spun like a propeller while descending toward the ring. And right before she landed, her insect ally performed a figure-eight in the air before landing perfectly one her feet with her arms raised, a big open-mouth smile on her face.

Venipede blinked and uttered, "Wow, so that's the great Scyther," as Rinko nodded and waved, shouting, "THAT WAS AWESOME, MOTHER!"

Eiko was breathing heavily now as Kelani asked, "You okay, Mommy?" as Noboru rubbed her shoulders, saying, "Easy does it, darling. You don't wanna be unconscious during the match, do you?"

Scyther smirked and walked over to Machoke, holding out her hand and saying, "Well, well, well, we finally get to face each-other in the ring," as the man nodded and shook it, replying, "Yeah. You're the only member of your team I haven't faced yet."

Lopunny and Gardevoir, however, were resisting the urge to give one-another a hug. However, that would have been too affectionate before a match, so they simply smiled sweetly and bowed their heads.

With all said and done, each team stood on a different side of the ring as Nori exclaimed, "Let us begin!" ringing the bell as Machoke charged toward Scyther and Gardevoir aimed for Lopunny.

The rabbit wasted no time sending her ears out as if she was trying to punch the woman, both parts stretching out as if they were made of rubber. However, Gardevoir saw this coming and leapt over them, landing on top of one and sprinting across it. And once she was close enough, she leapt off and planted her feet hard into the rabbit's skull, knocking her on her back while the crowd cheered.

Machoke, however, was having a bit more trouble as after delivering a karate chop to Scyther, she retaliated with a roundhouse to his side. She then wrapped her arms around him and lifted him up, planting his skull into the mat with a perfect German suplex.

Seeing this, Gardevoir gasped and raced toward him only for Lopunny to latch onto her legs, saying, "Sorry, but I can't let you do that."

She then rose to her feet and leapt high into the air, causing Gardevoir to fall on her chin before being pulled up with her. The rabbit them flipped herself upside-down, her opponent's head facing the mat as she spun while descending.

"BUNNY TORNADO!" Lopunny exclaimed as Machoke panicked, rushing in to help only for Scyther to fly over to him and wrap her arms around him, lifting him up onto her shoulder with a smirk, saying, "You should know more than anyone never to let your guard down."

And sure enough, Gardevoir's head was soon rammed into the canvas as Machoke was lifted high into the air, Scyther shouting, "FLYING HAMMER!" before leaning backward and planting the back of his neck into that very material.

Venipede blinked and uttered, "Pretty cool, but your version's better, Rinko," as the brunette smiled and replied, "Thanks, but you don't have to pretend Mother's isn't more effective than mine. I mean, she can actually defy gravity."

But while Machoke was struggling a bit to rise to his feet, Gardevoir easily recovered from the hit dealt to her as a violet glow appeared around her hands. A grin then formed as she said, "I hate to disappoint you, Lopunny, but while you may have beaten me the first time we fought, you won't be so fortunate this time."

She then leapt toward the rabbit with her arm out and shouted, "MOON HOOK!" only for the rabbit to try blocking it with her ears. However, unlike the first time Gardevoir tried this, it seemed to work as Lopunny's ears bent backwards, allowing her to take some pain to her neck before falling on her back.

Scyther saw this and flew toward the woman, wrapping her arms around her neck. However, Gardevoir ignored the pain as swung her arm back, striking the insect's cheek.

With Scyther distracted now, Machoke finally made a full recovery and raced toward her, leaping into the air and sending his feet into her back. He then wrapped his arms around her and lifted her up, planting the back of her head into the canvas as the crowd went wild.

"Things were looking really good for the High-Flying Blades," Nori stated, "but the Glamourous Fighting Machines have gotten the advantage back thanks to the Beaulieu family power, which only the females in the family have."

"Wait, why doesn't Machop have it, then?" Yuki asked as the older woman sported a look of confusion.

"I can fill you in on that," Beedrill explained, "Something Gardevoir did long ago was merge with her power. For a while, she wasn't able to activate it to its full extent, but it made her regular strength a lot stronger. Machoke told me once that Machop had managed to do the same thing. In fact, he sent every one of us an email bragging about it."

Yuki blinked as Nori said, "As for why Gardevoir can activate the power now, that's another story."

It seemed that while the announcers were talking about this, Gardevoir and Machoke had greatly weakened Scyther and Lopunny as the man lifted the insect up by her arms, the woman holding the rabbit by her ears. And with that, both sent their opponents into the air and ran toward separate ropes.

"You think you can pull this off after all these years, honey?" Machoke asked as he launched himself off of the ropes he had approached while Gardevoir squealed, "You'd better believe it!" following suit.

The man then rolled up into a ball and spun vertically into Scyther's back, Gardevoir bending herself in the shape of a half-moon and flying into Lopunny. They then reached their arms and legs back, Machoke latching onto the insect's chin and ankles while the woman did the same with the rabbit's shoulders and legs.

The two then proceeded to spin toward the mat while shouting, "NIGHT AND DAY MUSCLE PRESS!" planting both opponents' heads hard into the canvas while the crowd went wild, Yuki's jaw dropped as Nori exclaimed, "And despite their age weakening them, Machoke and Gardevoir are still able to pull off that awesome team move that defeated Hoopa!"

Eiko squealed excitedly as Kelani stared in wonder, Isamu nodding and saying, "That was awesome."

Though it certainly seemed to take a lot out of the couple as they breathed heavily, smiling lightly at one-another while Yuki counted to ten. And with that, she rang the bell thus confirming their victory in this exhibition match, the crowd even more ecstatic.

Noboru smiled wide and said, "Wow, I wasn't expecting to see that in action again," as Hana nodded and replied, "I know. I am so glad we came early for this."

"Okay, I am definitely looking up Machoke's other matches," Isamu uttered as Eiko nodded with a big smile, Rinko uttering, "I hope Mother's okay."

It seemed so as she and Lopunny slowly rose to their feet, Scyther grinning and saying, "Still applying just enough pressure to finish the job but no more. Good old Machoke," the man nodding with a grin.

During this time, Machop had finished many training exercises as Lairon nodded and said, "I think that's enough for the day. Rest up. Remember, you don't have much time before your match begins."

The girl nodded with a warm smile and replied, "I know I've said this a lot, but thank you so much for all of this. I wouldn't be where I am today if it hadn't been for you."

Lairon chuckled and said, "I'm headed to the bleachers now. I hope I didn't miss the entirety of the exhibition match," only to feel a touch disappointed when he exited and noticed Machoke and Gardevoir walking down the hall, their bruises making it clear that they had just finished a fight.

Upon seeing the dinosaur, Machoke grinned and said, "Hey, just finishing some drills with my daughter?" Lairon nodding and replying, "There's no doubt in my mind that she can win this."

He then put on a more serious look and asked, "By the way, did you bring, you know, it?" Gardevoir nodding and saying, "Of course he did. He wouldn't forget something so important."

"Good," Lairon replied with a grin before heading off toward the exit, Machoke walking over to the door and setting down a handbag. He then knocked on the door with a childish smile as he and Gardevoir raced off from the area, laughing all the while.

Machop opened the door and looked around, saying, "Hello?" before looking down and spotting the bag.

"Oh, wow, what could this be?" she asked with a big grin as she opened it up, her eyes sparkling as she squealed, "Oh, Daddy! You didn't have to do this!"

Inside were the clothes Machoke wore when he fought in the Olympic and Tag Team Tournament finals, the same ones Machop wore for the opening ceremony. The girl had originally planned on bringing them but could not find them, so she was beyond grateful to have these.

Meanwhile, Scyther and Lopunny were headed down the other hall, the rabbit rubbing her head and saying, "Even after all this time, they still pack a punch."

"Ja," Scyther replied with a sigh, "I'm surprised you used to be able to stand up to Gardevoir's power. That hurt like a bitch."

As the two passed by the room Slurpuff was in, Scyther felt something ominous as her eyes widened. The rabbit turned to her and asked, "You okay?" as she nodded and replied, "Ja. I must have taken in more pain than I thought."

All the while, the second exhibition match going on was between Barbaracle and Golduck. Currently, the barnacle seemed to be at a disadvantage as Golduck sent a roundhouse into his midsection, causing him to back up.

She then leapt toward him with her bill pointed outward, shouting, "DUCK JET!" ramming the beak hard into his gut as he backed up again, the crowd cheering as Nori stated, "This is truly something. It seems that after all these years, Golduck has finally found a way to use at least some of her water-based techniques without her ability to control water. Normally, the move she just used would be known as Aqua Jet and would involve her covering her body in the stuff."

"Wow, I would love to see that in action," Yuki stated as Eiko squealed with delight, Isamu turning to Noboru and asking, "So, you say she and Machoke fought on a team once, right?"

The man nodded and replied, "Oh yeah, though if you ask me, it wasn't exactly a match made in heaven. Golduck didn't do a whole lot and ultimately, Machoke had to finish both of their opponents by himself."

With Barbaracle distracted, Golduck leapt up and latched onto his head with her legs. She then leaned backward and took hold of his ankles, propelling both herself and the barnacle high into the air. She then flipped herself one-hundred-and-eighty degrees so his head was facing the mat.

"ICE ROCK DRIVER!" the duck exclaimed as the two descended, but just as it looked like Barbaracle would lose for sure, he tilted his head upward, opening it up as his face made contact. And since his head was a giant hand, this reduced the amount of pain he took in significantly as Golduck's eyes and bill widened.

"Silly Golduck," Barbaracle said with an implied smirk, "You should know better than to try this on me."

He then pushed himself and the duck high above the ring as Golduck winced, losing a bit of strength and releasing her hold. Seeing a perfect opportunity, Barbaracle flipped himself upright before turning around and grabbing onto the duck, turning her upside-down. He then wrapped his lower arms and legs around her torso while using his top hands to force her legs together.

"HARPOON DRIVER!" Barbaracle spat as he descended toward the mat, ramming Golduck's skull into it as she coughed up blood. Thus he released his hold on her and allowed her to collapse as Yuki started the ten count.

The crowd cheered as Eiko said, "This isn't as exciting as the last one, but that was still pretty awesome," as soon enough, ten seconds passed and the bell was rung thus making Barbaracle's victory official.

"Yes!" Barbaracle exclaimed as he rose all four hands in the air before turning to Golduck and asking, "I didn't hurt you too badly, did I?"

The duck smirked and replied, "As if," the barnacle rolling his eyes and helping her up.

"And that's that for the exhibition matches, folks," Beedrill stated, "But don't forget, we still have our main event in a little over an hour, so if any of you would like to stretch, go to the bathroom, maybe even have an early lunch, now's your chance."

The time flew by as it was soon time for the event everyone had come for, the Olympic finals match. Both the French and Turkish fans were separated and ready for action while the rest of the crowd could not wait, though currently, they were having trouble deciding who to support. On one hand, Machop had saved them so many times and was a big fan favourite in Tokyo, but on the other hand, Slurpuff had this hypnotic effect on everyone whenever he entered the ring.

"I really hope Machop is prepared to receive a lack of support," Torchic sighed, "I just know everyone's gonna play favourites here," as Meloetta nodded and grunted, "After all her hard work, she'll need all the focus she can get."

However, their conversation came to a close when they noticed Golduck, Barbaracle, Roserade and Lucario walk into the fight area. Each one was carrying a chair, and once they reached separate corners of the ring, they set them down and took a seat, folding their arms.

Isamu blinked as Eiko nodded and said, "This is common with the final round. What they do is they bring in a total of four past-generation heroes to monitor the match, you know, make sure no one's breaking any rules. If they see so much as one violation, they will point it out right away."

Beedrill explained this to the crowd almost immediately after she said it as Isamu shrugged and replied, "Well, at least I heard it before everyone else."

"As you've all seen, this has been a really exciting tournament," the wasp stated, "It's been my pleasure hosting this event once again, and I can only hope to do this more in the future. But enough stalling. You all wanna see the fighters."

Machoke grinned and exclaimed, "We're gonna see Machop's entrance," Gardevoir nodding and pulling out her phone to record it.

"In the blue corner, representing France is the hero of Tokyo who has thwarted the most villains!" Nori stated, "She has displayed that classic Mach family talent for enduring a great deal of damage, taking down Garbodor, Chesnaught and the middle-aged villain, Ditta, who was using Machamp's abilities!"

"So proud," Machoke sniffed with a light tear as the woman added, "So, without further ado, I'd like you all to give a round of applause for Machop!"

The crowd was ready for another dumb entrance but was shocked when Machop marched toward the ring with the Mach family bands on. She had a serious look on her face as the crowd went wild, Yuki shouting, "Wow! And Machop treats us to a very dignified entrance! Nothing over-the-top, just a serious entrance that shows us she means business!"

As the girl climbed into the ring, the crowd cheered even louder as she held her arms up in the air, forming two peace signs. Even her friends were beyond ecstatic as Isamu exclaimed, "YOU LOOK AWESOME!" Eiko nodding and explaining, "Machoke and Machamp wore those clothes for their biggest fights, you know."

"Wow!" Kelani squealed as Rinko nodded and said, "Well, I have to admit, I'm a tad jealous."

"Me too," Venipede uttered, "Imagine me wearing that headband," as Vigoroth chuckled and added, "I wouldn't mind those wristbands."

Meloetta nodded and said, "I'm gonna ask where I can buy clothes like that."

Once the crowd calmed down, Yuki stated, "And in the blue corner, representing Turkey is currently Tokyo's sweetheart," the younger woman shuddering after saying that before adding, "Despite his adorable outward appearance, he has proven himself a real force to be reckoned with, having defeated Torchic, Delphox and Clawitzer. Give it up for Slurpuff!"

The majority of the crowd went wild as the cake dog entered the area wearing sunglasses, sporting a baseball cap and playing with a yo-yo. His fangirls all squealed and shouted, "OH MY GOD, THAT'S JUST ADORABLE!"

"Really?" Machoke uttered as he noticed xylophone music playing in the background, "What does everyone see in this guy? His entrances are dumber than mine," as Gardevoir giggled and said, "Well, he does look pretty cute with those shades on."

Once Slurpuff was in the ring, he took off the cap and shades and tossed them toward the crowd. A teenaged girl caught them and squealed, "THIS IS THE BEST DAY EVER!" only for a few girls around her to dog pile her in an attempt to claim the articles of clothing for themselves.

"Seriously?" Roserade groaned, "My fans may be creepy at times, but they're not this crazy," as Lucario sighed, "Stay focused. This is a rare opportunity for someone like you," the rose woman glaring at him.

Either way, she knew the dog was right as she folded her arms and turned back to the ring. And with that, Slurpuff and Machop stood on separate sides as the girl thought, 'There's no way I'm losing this match. I've worked hard while you haven't done a thing. By the time this match is over, I'll have restored the Mach family's championship title.'


	68. Chapter 68

This was it. All that was left was for Yuki to ring the bell and the final match of the Olympics would begin. Machop had trained long and hard for this and there was no way Slurpuff would win.

Before the match could begin, though, the cake dog beamed and said, "I'm really excited for this. I've wanted to fight you since the tournament began," Machop tensing up at the sound of this. Whenever an opponent specifically wanted to face a member of the Mach family and no one else, it was usually not a good sign.

However, she then remembered all of her training and took a deep breath, striking a fighting pose as Yuki nodded and said, "Well, folks, the combatants are set. Let the match begin," before ringing the bell.

Machop wasted no time racing toward Slurpuff as she knew what could potentially happen if she stood still and waited for him to make the first move. The cake dog saw this coming and sent his hair forward only for the girl to dodge to the side, smirking and continuing forward. And before Slurpuff could even respond, Machop wound up just close enough to deliver a roundhouse to his side.

The cake dog's eyes widened as he faltered to the side briefly, the girl wrapping her arms around him and lifting him up. She then leaned backward and slammed his skull hard into the canvas as, just as was expected at this point, the majority of the crowd booed her.

"Hey, what the hell!?" Machoke retorted, glaring at the French crowd, "You all know she has to do this to win the Olympics! You act like she broke a rule or something!" only to receive a can to the side of his head, gritting his teeth and getting up, shouting, "ALRIGHT, WHO THREW THAT!?"

Gardevoir rested her hands against his arm and smiled sweetly at him, thus calming him down as he slumped down in his chair and grumbled, "Assholes."

Unlike her father, though, Machop was not the least bit intimidated or surprised by this. She had already witnessed it in three matches so far, and she at least knew there was a way to get the French fans on her side. That was good enough for her as she was ready to strike Slurpuff again.

However, it seemed the cake dog knew a way around this as he used his hair to push himself up, sending his feet into her chin. The crowd cheered as he then righted himself up, a big smile on his face as he squealed, "That was a good start! You're really, really strong!"

"Is anyone else getting sick of hearing that?" Isamu groaned as the others nodded, Vigoroth sighing, "I swear, every single time he does that, he's kissing up to his opponents. I don't know why he'd need to."

The cake dog's comeback, however, did not end there as before Machop could respond, she found her arms bound in place courtesy of his hair. He then lifted her up and leaned backward, planting her skull into the canvas as more cheers came from the crowd, Yuki saying, "Machop had a surprisingly good start, but ultimately, even she could not avoid falling victim to Slurpuff's unpredictable fighting style."

The girl groaned and tried her best to recover only for Slurpuff to move his hair up to her neck, placing a firm grip on it. Her eyes and mouth widened as he giggled, Torchic groaning, "Dammit. He's even worse than when he fought me."

"Trust me, you haven't seen anything yet," Rinko groaned as Slurpuff proceeded to lift the girl up, shouting, "FROSTING WHACK-A-MOLE!" slamming her back hard against the mat while still applying pressure to her neck.

Meloetta bit her lower lip and whimpered, Lairon growling, "Come on, Machop. You can get out of this. You've gotten out of holds like this countless times."

And it seemed that the girl realized this as she started to spin her body. However, all this did was caused Slurpuff's hair to roll up like knot bread. But while this did not look like a good way to escape, Machop very quickly realized a way to take advantage of this as she continued to spin.

Slurpuff giggled and squeaked, "That looks like fun!" as the crowd was unsure whether to cheer or not. Even Machop's friends had no idea what she was doing as Garchomp groaned, "Oh no, not even two minutes into the match and she's already desperate!"

"No, I think there's more to this," Torchic uttered as Rinko nodded and smirked, saying, "If this has the result I think it will, the added pain will be worth it."

And it seemed so as soon enough, almost all of the hair was rolled up. This left the parts next to Slurpuff's head, and with said part blocking the way, Machop was unable to effect it the same way. Thus the cake dog's eyes widened as he wound up spinning along with the girl and falling on his side, releasing his hold on her as she quickly sprang to her feet, breathing heavily while holding her hands up to her neck.

Seeing this, Lairon nodded and said, "Wow, that was brilliant," as Eiko squealed, "WAY TO GO, MACHOP!" Isamu folding his arms with a warm smile.

Slurpuff pushed himself up with the side of his hair and clapped his arms against his body, squealing, "That was so cool!" the crowd all letting out a collective, "Aw!" with hearts in their eyes, Nori saying, "Well, even after such a miraculous escape from Machop, Slurpuff is still a really good sport."

However, unlike all of the other times, Machop noticed a sense of insincerity in his voice, as if he did not mean what he just said. If anything, he sounded annoyed, as if he was really hoping that would finish the job.

Whatever the case, such a mentality was to be expected during a match. As such, the girl chose to ignore this as she held up a fighting stance. She would have rushed or leapt toward Slurpuff, but she had a feeling he could easily counter with his hair.

Lairon nodded and folded his arms, saying, "At least she's taking the smart approach. Against an opponent like Slurpuff, she can't afford to make any rash moves."

The cake dog once again sent his hair toward the girl only for her to leap over it. She then wasted no time sending a flying kick into his forehead, knocking him on his back as the crowd booed and hissed, Roserade looking around and uttering, "What is wrong with these people? First they're all supportive and cheering her and now not even the French fans want her to win."

Lucario was about to scold her for breaking form again, but deep down, he had been resisting the urge to bring this up himself. As a good friend of the Mach family, he could not help but find it annoying how little support Machop had right now.

Even so, the girl refused to let this get to her as she flipped Slurpuff onto his back and wrapped her arms around his neck, applying a firm grip to it. But while most of her friends cheered, Isamu, Noboru and Lairon immediately saw a problem with this tactic as they groaned, "Oh no! Why would she do that!?" before turning to one-another and blinking.

And it seemed their concern was certainly warranted as Slurpuff rose his hair up, forming fists on the ends and shouting, "FROSTING CYMBALS!" sending them inward thus punching the girl's ribs hard.

Machop groaned and released her hold on the cake dog, the fists becoming more like clamps and pressing up against her, trapping her in place. She then found herself lifted high above the ring as Slurpuff exclaimed, "CHERRY BOMB!" launching his cherry into her gut as she coughed up a bit of blood.

The crowd cheered for Slurpuff as Yuki stated, "And just as quickly as Machop gained the advantage, she loses it thanks to Slurpuff's unpredictable and sticky hair!" the cake dog leaping up to her level and stretching the top of his hair up, wrapping it around her neck.

He then leaned backwards and shouted, "FROSTING MALLET!" descending toward the canvas and slamming the girl's skull into it. Machop gritted her teeth, her eyes narrowed as the cake dog released his hold, allowing her to roll around while holding her head.

Jackalu watched this from the hospital and frowned, growling, "Come on, Machop. You're so much better than this. I know this is nothing for someone as amazing and talented as you."

Just as Machop was about to recover, it seemed Slurpuff had much more planned as he stretched his hair out once more, taking hold of her arms. The girl's friends gave her words of encouragement, but these hardly seemed to make a difference as the cake dog proceeded to form what looked like a frying pan with the back of his hair, flipping Machop over his head and onto it.

"Oh my god, how many signature moves does this guy have!?" Isamu groaned as Eiko whimpered, "He has to be running out of moves by now. We've seen at least twenty from him now, right?"

This hardly seemed to matter as Slurpuff lifted up the back of his hair and sent it over his head, slapping Machop hard against the mat and squealing, "FROSTING PANCAKE SMACK!"

As if that was not enough, he then leapt high above Machop and wrapped his hair all around him, forming a perfect sphere with his cherry on top. His fans all went wild as Yuki uttered, "And despite Machop's best efforts, she has now been set up for that devastating technique that defeated Torchic. This could very well be the shortest final match is Hero Olympic history, folks."

Machop groaned as Slurpuff exclaimed, "CAKE POP CRUSHER!" but not long after he started his descent, the girl's eyes widened as she had an idea. She could have just as easily rolled out of the way, but if anything, she wanted to give the cake dog a reason never to use this move again.

With that in mind, she propelled herself high into the air as Lairon and Garchomp snapped, "WHAT THE HELL IS SHE DOING!?" Kelani smiling and squealing, "I think I know!"

No one knew how the doberman knew of Machop's plan, but whatever the case, he was right as she leaned her body back in an arch formation. She then threw her arms and legs up, pressing them both against the frosting sphere.

Everyone stared in shock as Machop used all her might to flip one-hundred-and-eighty degrees thus Slurpuff's cherry was now facing the mat. And before the cake dog could do a thing about it, he soon made contact with the material as he reverted back to his normal state, his eyes swirling as his tongue hung out the side of his mouth.

The audience gasped, some looking mortified as not only had Machop found a way to counter his Cake Pop Crusher, but she had even managed to deal damage to him. Considering his body had been covered, they figured there was no way that could possibly work, so this naturally came as a shock.

But as was expected, the crowd booed and jeered her as Slurpuff righted himself up, hobbling back and forth while his tongue swished from side to side. Machoke gritted his teeth, resisting the urge to yell at the top of his lungs only for Gardevoir to gently pat him on the shoulder with a sweet smile.

Though it seemed even the judges were having trouble focusing on the ring with all this unfair treatment Machop was receiving. The audience knew this would happen. They were fully aware that this was how the match would play out and yet they acted as if this was completely unexpected.

Scyther folded her arms and grunted, "Disgraceful. Glad we didn't have to deal with a crowd this fickle," as Lopunny sighed, "To be fair, Machoke always had to deal with this. Never understood how he could handle so many people laughing at him constantly."

But much like before, Machop refused to allow the crowd's reactions to get under her skin. All that mattered to her was that her friends were cheering her on. As long as she had some support, that was enough motivation for her to keep trying.

As if that was not enough, Slurpuff was now distracted. As such, Machop leapt toward him with her arm out and shouted, "MOON HOOK!" hitting him hard in the neck as he coughed up his jam-like blood. And it did not end there as the girl kept her arm linked to him and swung herself around so she was behind him.

"What is Machop doing!?" Yuki barked as the girl then used her free arm to place a firm grip on the cake dog's chest, smirking and saying, "I just thought of this recently. Figured this old family move could use a little addition."

Gardevoir beamed bright, feeling beyond proud as Machop leapt into the air and leaned backward, ramming the back of Slurpuff's head into the turnbuckle. This caused him to cough up more blood as a few French fans gasped, looks of confusion on their faces.

"Sacre bleu! Why have I been cheering for Slurpuff!?" a middle-aged man gasped as a girl added, "I am so ashamed. I was prepared to support Machop but cheered for the opponent instead."

Machoke turned to the French crowd and blinked, uttering, "Anyone know what just happened?" as even the judges were resisting the urge to bring this up.

Whatever the case, Machop knew this was far from over as she took even more advantage of Slurpuff's state, sending her elbow repeatedly into his gut. This caused him even more pain as the French crowd along with her fans cheered wildly, Isamu sighing, "There's that miracle I expect from her."

Eiko nodded and squealed, "Machop's so cool! She always gets out of situations like these!" as Kelani clapped with a big open-mouth smile.

Meanwhile, in the back row, Sneasel breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Not gonna lie. I was kinda worried back there. That Slurpuff is scary as hell," as Gigalith nodded, Gyarados adding, "I wasn't too worried. After all, Machop took in far worse from me and wound up okay."

But just as it seemed that the girl finally had the advantage, Slurpuff ignored the pain her elbow was dealing and closed his hair inward, latching it to her arm. Her eyes widened as the cake dog formed a circle over his head, shouting, "FROSTING FLY SWATTER!" sending it into the girl's face ten times.

This ultimately caused her to end her attack as Slurpuff leapt up onto the turnbuckle and jumped backwards with his hair still latched to her arms. And once he deemed himself high enough, he allowed himself to descend toward her, shouting, "SLINGFROST!" ramming hard into her gut as she coughed up blood.

Most of the crowd cheered for him as Nori exclaimed, "Just as things finally start to look up for Machop, Slurpuff counters with more moves we've never seen from him before!" the cake dog leaping away from Machop, a big adorable smile on his face as he beamed, "That was really cool! I didn't think anyone could beat my Cake Pop Crusher!"

His fangirls all cheered with hearts in their eyes, sighing, "He's such a good sport!" though once again, Machop detected less sincerity from Slurpuff than usual.

Vigoroth let out a sigh and groaned, "Every single time someone gets the drop on him, he has to find a way around it," as Meloetta uttered, "Still, at least Machop found a way around one of his special moves, right?"

Lairon nodded with a grin and replied, "Yeah. I have to admit, I never would had thought of that, though it should have been obvious. After all, that's very similar to how Lucario defeated the Sunset Slam back in the day."

Torchic smirked and said, "Whatever the case, that gives me hope," before shouting, "Come on, Machop! Don't let this get to you! You're doing great!" Machop turning to her with a light smile.

"Your friends are really nice," Slurpuff said with the biggest smile he could muster, Machop turning back to him and nodding before remarking, "Yeah, and they also give me the motivation I need to do my absolute best."

Machop could swear she saw a look of envy on Slurpuff's face after she said that, but it went by so quickly that she wondered if she had just imagined it. After all, she had never seen such a look from him before, not to mention he had a bigger fanbase than she did. What reason would he have to be jealous?

Even so, it seemed Slurpuff was still fully confident in himself as he raced toward Machop, something no one had expected him to do. However, all became clear when he started swinging his hair around, forming fists on the end as Machop barely managed to leap to the right in time to avoid it. While the move itself was nothing too special, it was yet another attack no one had ever seen from the cake dog until now, so it only stood to reason that it caught her off-guard.

But while the move had still missed, it seemed Slurpuff had something else planned as he leapt toward the ropes, once again covering himself in his hair to form a big sphere. And once he made contact with the material, he bounced off and shouted, "CAKE POP PINBALL!"

Machop's eyes widened as he flew toward her at an incredible speed, ramming into her as she coughed up blood and fell on her back. But as soon as she rose back to her feet, Slurpuff had already flown to the opposite side and bounced off those ropes, ramming into her back.

"Oh no!" Vigoroth groaned, "Why did it never occur to me that he'd have an ability like that!?" Meloetta asking, "Wait, all I see is a ball. Where's the pin?" everyone giving her an awkward stare. Even Kelani, who had only been alive for almost three months, knew what Pinball was.

Machop groaned as the next strike hit her on the side, causing her to spin briefly as Lairon growled, "Dammit! He's so unpredictable! Every other opponent Machop has faced has at least had an ability to exploit, but this guy..."

"It's hard to come up with advice for this match, isn't it?" Garchomp asked as Venipede sighed, "Come on, Machop. If anyone can find a way around this, it's you."

Machop took the seventh hit to her face and coughed up more blood as Yuki stated, "After getting out of quite a few close calls, it seems Machop can't find a way around the Frosting Pinball. Slurpuff is simply moving too quickly for her to counter or dodge or anything like that."

Machoke watched this in horror and groaned, "If only she had could use the Mach Cover!" as Gardevoir nodded and sighed, "I know. It would certainly help."

It seemed Machop was thinking the same thing as she took in the thirteenth hit, thinking, 'Alright, how did Daddy tell me this worked? I've gotta try,' as she gave herself a tight embrace, focusing hard. Unfortunately, this did not prevent her from taking in pain from the next move as she once again took a blow to her face, her head reeling back as Slurpuff continued his flight.

However, seeing no other options, the girl attempted the technique a second time. Unfortunately, it met the same results as Yuki asked, "What's Machop doing?"

"It looks like she's attempting a very famous defensive tactic, the Mach Cover," Beedrill replied, "It was invented by Mapunch and they say he used it to protect himself from a whole army for three days and three nights. Unfortunately, it's not used as much ever since Lucario exposed its weaknesses, but it's still very effective."

"So why can't Machop use it?" Nori uttered as Lairon took a deep breath and sighed, "It's because her muscles aren't big enough."

The others stared at him as Isamu uttered, "You can't be serious," only for the dinosaur to shake his head and remark, "As painful as it is, Machop does not have the same muscle mass as her ancestors, let alone Machamp and Machoke. Therefor, I don't think she's able to pull it off."

However, after the tactic failed for the tenth time, Machop noticed something. Not only was this hit weaker than the others but Slurpuff seemed to be slowing down. It was as if the tactic had worked to a certain degree, but not in the way she would have liked it to.

With this in mind, Machop's eyes sparkled briefly as she quickly sported a more serious look and folded her arms again. And when Slurpuff rammed into her once more, she threw her arms out, thus forcing him back.

The crowd gasped as Slurpuff reverted back to a normal state, the girl sending a roundhouse into his gut. She then took hold of his stubby arms and leaned backward, slamming his back into the canvas while the French crowd and her friends cheered wildly.

"Did you see that!?" Eiko squealed, "She finally did it!" as Garchomp breathed a sigh of relief and said, "I have admit, I really wasn't sure if she could find a way to effectively counter that."

"I can't believe it!" Yuki exclaimed, "Just as it seemed like Machop would lose for sure, she has finally managed to work her way around Slurpuff's mighty Pinball technique!"

And it did not end there as the girl lifted the cake dog up by his feet and leapt into the air, wrapping her legs around his neck and shouting, "METEOR WARHEAD!" ramming his skull into the canvas while cheers from her fans grew louder.

Shockingly enough, this seemed to take Slurpuff down for good as Yuki immediately started the ten count, Kelani squealing, "Yay!" while clapping his hands, the others cheering as well.

"I can't believe it," Isamu uttered, "Is it already over?" as Torchic sighed, "Somehow, I have a feeling it's not."

And it seemed so as once Yuki reached five seconds, Slurpuff's eyes shot open as he pushed himself up with his hair, the Japanese and Turkish fans going wild. He took a deep breath, trying his best to make it come off as cute before beaming wide, as if all the pain dealt earlier meant nothing.

"Oh god, I am so tired of seeing that!" Isamu groaned as Nori stated, "It looked like Machop had won this match, but Slurpuff continues to stand."

"Aw man," Machoke groaned as Gardevoir smiled and said, "It's okay. I just think it's awesome that she pulled off my best move so flawlessly."

However, the woman's tune would soon change when Slurpuff grinned and said, "I have to admit, this is a lot of fun! I've never fought anyone quite like you!" Machop tensing up as she once again detected a hint of annoyance in his tone.

The others were equally worried about where this was going as the cake dog squealed, "I wonder what I should use next! Maybe Kendama or my Pizza! Maybe I should use my Mallet again or-or Burrito Driver! Maybe Pig in a Blanket Backdrop or I could use Frosting Merry-Go-Round!"

"Does this guy have any threatening names for his special moves?" Machoke uttered as a teenaged girl seated next to him replied, "Oh no. Such names are far too vulgar for someone as adorable as Slurpuff," hearts forming in her eyes as the man groaned.

"No," Slurpuff said with a grin, "I've got something else in mind, a nice little surprise just for you."

Machop's eyes widened as she uttered, "Surprise?" as Rinko groaned, "Seriously, what else can his hair possibly do?"

This would soon be made clear as said part split up into eight ropes. Slurpuff then had them all wiggle menacingly with the same cute look, saying, "I hope you like my Frosting Spider," Machop's eyes and mouth wide open. Could this be the technique that would result in her second loss?


	69. Chapter 69

As if Slurpuff was not threatening before, he had just activated an ability that looked intimidating just from the concept alone. One could only imagine how difficult defeating him would be now that he had eight ropes of sticky hair wiggling around.

"Just when you think he's run out of surprises," Venipede groaned, rubbing his head, "Maybe his hair is like a rubber band! They say those have nine-hundred-and-ninety-nine uses!"

"At this point, I wouldn't be surprised if that was true," Lairon grumbled, folding his arms, "He wouldn't be the first, either. It's been said that back in the day, the legendary Greninja had a grand total of one-thousand techniques. Nowadays, she can't use a whole lot of them anymore, but there's no doubt she was quite the demon in the ring."

"Wow," Meloetta uttered, "Good thing Slurpuff's not really evil. Imagine someone like that serving the dark side, eh?" Kelani whimpering, "That sounds scary."

Torchic then smirked and said, "I'm sure Machop will be fine. She once defeated an opponent with eight arms and six legs. This is nothing," Garchomp replying, "True, but keep in mind, Tentacruel's tentacles weren't sticky."

Machop realized this as well as she tried her hardest not to look scared. After all, she had done a good job so far and there was no way she was going to throw away a chance at victory just because Slurpuff had revealed another technique no one had seen up to this point.

Slurpuff smiled bright and asked, "What do you think? It's super cool, isn't it? I only save this for the really fun opponents, and you are the funnest opponent I've ever faced."

"Oh, joy," Machop groaned before striking a defensive stance, looking for a moment to strike. However, it seemed she might not get a chance as the cake dog sent four of his ropes forward, binding her ankles and wrists with them.

He then proceeded to lift her up before shouting, "FROSTING BALL GUN!" sending the other four ropes of hair repeatedly into her gut at a rapid pace.

His fans went wild as the French fans panicked, Machop grunting in pain before coughing up a bit of blood. Eiko squeaked in panic as Meloetta covered her eyes. While she was used to seeing Machop have trouble defeating opponents before, it had never looked this hopeless.

After delivering more than thirty hits, Slurpuff ended his assault and said, "I'd rather not win with this. I wanna have more fun, and I think you'll really like this one. After all, this was originally your grampa's idea."

"Wait, what?" Machop uttered with a pathetic look in her eyes, the cake dog reeling her in and flipping her over.

The crowd watched in awe, Lairon uttering, "Oh no. I think I know where this is going," as Isamu uttered, "There's no way it can work, right? I mean, Machop knows a way around this."

However, it seemed that might not be the case as the girl was too weak to even struggle after all those hits. And things would only get worse when Slurpuff wrapped two more ropes around her waist, latching the last two around her neck.

He then leaped high into the air as Yuki exclaimed, "And in a shocking turn of events, it seems as if Slurpuff fully intends to use his own version of the Muscle Tombstone! I'm kinda wondering what he plans to call it now."

"Is it wrong to say I'm kinda thinking the same thing?" Gardevoir uttered as she and Machoke looked down with shame, the man also wondering this.

However, Lairon wished he could give some advice as Isamu asked, "She can just reverse it, right?" as Noboru sighed, "Hate to say it, son, but I'm not sure if she's focused enough to pull that off right now."

This seemed to be the case as Slurpuff descended toward the mat, squealing, "MUSCLY POUND CAKE!" the area going silent as everyone waited for Machop's inevitable collision with the canvas.

But just as it looked like all was lost, Machop's eyes widened as she gritted her teeth, growling, "NO!" Slurpuff looking terrified for the first time during the entire match.

She then let out a loud cry and used all her might to flip herself and Slurpuff one-hundred-and-eighty degrees. And while Slurpuff was too high up to make contact with the mat, Machop still wound up landing on her feet thus preventing herself from taking in damage as her friends and the French crowd went wild.

"I KNEW SHE COULD DO IT!" Machoke exclaimed as he and Gardevoir shared a big hug, Isamu breathing a sigh of relief as Eiko squealed, "Yay! Machop's the best!"

As luck would have it, Slurpuff had been so distracted by Machop's counter that he wound up loosening his hold on her. And needless to say, there was no way the girl would not take advantage of this as she spun around, swinging her arm into his cheek. She then followed it up with a roundhouse to his side and a headbutt to his face, the cheers from her fans only getting louder while Slurpuff's supporters were beyond mortified.

However, when the cake dog coughed up a bit of blood, some of the Japanese viewers gasped as one asked, "Oh my god, I was going to cheer for Machop. How did I forget that?" another groaning, "Oh god, what the hell came over me? I was going to cheer for Torchic when she fought him in the first round and then it just slipped my mind."

"Wow, it seems like every time someone draws blood from Slurpuff, more members of the crowd turn against him," Venipede uttered as Vigoroth tapped her chin and suggested, "Maybe it's because seeing him bleed makes him look less cute. That's the best theory I can come up with."

"Now that you mention it, that makes perfect sense," Venipede uttered as Torchic shrugged and remarked, "Whether or not Machop gets support hardly matters right now. What does matter is that she managed to bypass that cheap spider trick of his."

With that in mind, all of Machop's friends cheered for her as she took hold of Slurpuff's stubby arms, leaping high into the air and flipping him upside-down. She then wrapped her arms and legs around him, descending toward the mat and shouting, "ULTIMATE DRIVER!"

The cake dog could have easily used his frosting ropes to stop himself, but right now, he was still too spellbound by the fact that she had reversed his own slam to focus. Thus his skull made contact with the canvas as he coughed up more blood, Machop releasing her hold and allowing him to collapse as she received more cheers.

"Not only did Machop get out of the Muscle Tombstone, which I will call it despite Slurpuff giving it a different name," Yuki stated, "but she has also managed to land the other famous Mach family technique, the Ultimate Driver."

Nori then nodded and started the ten count as Slurpuff twitched, slowly rising to his feet and breathing heavily. Thus the count was put to a halt as the Turkish fans and a good percentage of the other audience members looked relieved.

"Oh, goddammit!" Isamu groaned, rubbing his head, "Even after all that! Most opponents fall to one or two of her finishing moves and yet he gets up after taking in three!? Come on!"

"Relax," Torchic replied with a sigh, "Machop's doing a very good job. Besides, I'm willing to bet that spider technique is all he has left."

"Besides, we mustn't forget how much damage he took in from Clawitzer," Garchomp added, "She actually got him breathing and he didn't feel the need to bring out that spider ability. He said himself that he saves this move for the best opponents, meaning it's probably all he has left to surprise us with."

Though neither Eiko nor Kelani were able to give their own thoughts on this matter. Both were focused on something they shockingly picked up more quickly than the others, and it was the look on Slurpuff's face. It looked as if even he was not completely relieved by the fact that Machop's Ultimate Driver had not been enough to end the match.

It was soon made clear why as he breathed heavily, his face looking as if he was having a psychotic meltdown. And soon enough, his fans noticed this as one girl gasped, "Hey, Slurpuff, what's wrong!? You can still beat her! That move didn't finish you off!"

However, he ignored her as he revealed rows of razor sharp teeth in his mouth, barking, "WHY WON'T YOU GO DOWN!?" everyone staring in stunned silence as he added, "I KEEP PULLING OUT EVERYTHING AND YET EVERY SINGLE TIME IT LOOKS LIKE I CAN BEAT YOU, YOU FIND A WAY AROUND MY BEST TECHNIQUES! I HEARD YOUR FAMILY'S INFAMOUS FOR ITS ABILITY TO CONSTANTLY GET OUT OF TOUGH SCRAPES, BUT YOU ARE ANNOYING!"

Even Machop could not believe what she was hearing as some members of the crowd looked terrified of the cake dog. They were so used to him being a good sport that to see him blow a gasket like this was hard to take in.

Things got even worse when he spat, "It all seemed so simple and was going so well, too! My plan was to win the Olympics so the world would recognize me as their new king! They would all bow down to me and treat me like a god! Even other villains would see me as a leader, someone they could look up to!"

"Wait, other villains?" Rinko uttered as the entire group groaned, "Oh, you've gotta be kidding me."

"It was hard defeating Delphox and Clawitzer, but I still did it!" Slurpuff growled, "And I thought for sure you'd be just as easy to take down, especially considering how close you came to losing to all of your opponents, but you're much more of a nuisance! I can't stand it!"

All went silent as everyone stared at Slurpuff. He gulped and cleared his throat before sporting a big smile and turning to his fanclub, squealing, "Hey, why'd everyone stop cheering?"

The crowd continued to stare silently at him as he started to tense up, sweating pouring down his face as he uttered, "Oh no, I really did just say all of that, didn't I?"

One of his fangirls laughed lightly and uttered, "That was a joke, right?" as another sighed, "I'd love to believe that, but that didn't sound like a joke to me."

Slurpuff was now twitching all over as the audience members talked amongst themselves. Even the Turkish fans could not believe a villain had been representing them the whole time. While this was not the first time something like this happened, Slurpuff seemed too sweet and innocent for such a thing.

Machop blinked and uttered, "Okay, I know Daddy had to deal with this five times in his career, but I still don't get it. Why enter the Olympics?" as the cake dog growled, "Because the winner of the Olympics is deemed the greatest in the world! If I win, I'll be revered as the best of the best! They'll see my championship belt and know better than to cross my path!"

"Look, I don't care what your reasoning is," Beedrill retorted with a scowl, "The fact remains that you're a villain in a tournament for heroes! As you probably already know, that is a major violation of the rules! I'd disqualify you, but I have a feeling that a member of the Mach family isn't going to just stand there and let you leave this ring!"

Machop nodded and retorted, "You got that right! If I had lost to a hero today, I would have been bitter for a while, but I would have eventually accepted it! Now that I know you're evil, I can't let you leave! Ditta may have been a threat, but you've already proven yourself far worse! If someone like you was allowed to walk free, no one would be safe!"

"Well, you heard her," Beedrill replied with a shrug as the crowd went wild, Rinko barking, "That's right! Show him what you're made of!"

"Yeah, our duty is to protect the innocent," Venipede added, "There's no way any of us would accept a default victory against a villain."

The cheers only got louder as even the Turkish fans were cheering for Machop. And soon enough, the announcers joined in as well, despite the fact that they had to be neutral.

Slurpuff's eyes suddenly became thinner and red as a wicked smile formed on his face. He also revealed his teeth once more and laughed, pointing and shouting, "WHY, THANK YOU FOR DIGGING YOUR OWN GRAVE! NOW I NO LONGER HAVE TO HOLD BACK! I CAN KILL YOU TODAY AND HAVE NO REGRETS!"

Eiko and Kelani hugged one-another with terror in their expressions as Isamu took a deep breath and folded his arms, saying, "I'm sure Machop can defeat him. She's managed to counter all of his best tactics. There's nothing else he can do to surprise us, right?"

Lairon let out a sigh and groaned, "As great as that would be, this guy has done nothing but surprise us throughout this tournament. Somehow I doubt we've seen him at his worst yet."

And this seemed to be the case as Slurpuff continued to laugh insanely, big clawed hands forming on the ends of his hair while the rest became big, beefy arms. The rest of it seemed to melt all around the cake dog's body as it soon went all the way down to his feet, two bulky legs forming in that very spot and holding him up. He then lowered his cherry so it was pressed up against his chest, the only part of him still exposed being his head. The remaining hair was used to form rounded ears on the sides.

Everyone stared in horror as he exclaimed, "FROSTING BEAR COSTUME!" Machoke sighing, "And there he goes, ruining the move with a non-threatening name."

However, the other judges stared at this as Roserade uttered, "Are we really going to allow this?" before turning back to the ring only for Lucario to sigh, "I think it's too late to act professional now. But you know our policy. If the opponent is fine with the rule violation, the match will continue."

With that in mind, Slurpuff smirked and said, "Perfect!" before clenching a fist and sending it toward Machop.

The girl easily leapt over it, but just as she was about to go beyond that, her eyes widened as the cake dog used his free hand punch her hard in the gut. This caused her to fly backwards slightly as Slurpuff raced toward her and planted his elbow into her, sending her into the turnbuckle.

The crowd gasped as Machop groaned, trying to regain focus. However, Slurpuff refused to give her such an opportunity as he advanced toward her, wrapping his arms around her and saying, "Ditta may not be a fan of bear hugs, but I absolutely love them!"

With that, he applied a strong grip to the girl's back as she cried out in pain. Despite the cake dog only having two arms as opposed to four, this dealt significantly more pain than when Ditta used it.

It seemed that Slurpuff had even more planned, though, as after a few more seconds, he leapt into the air and flipped himself one-hundred-and-eighty degrees, shouting, "FROSTING BEAR SUPLEX!" planting Machop's skull into the canvas as she coughed up blood.

The crowd stared in horror as Yuki stated, "While these last few moves from Slurpuff are a lot simpler than what we're used to seeing, they seem to pack a serious punch. Not only has his new form made him bigger, but it seems to have made him stronger."

"Now I'm starting to wonder if his hair has muscles in it," Beedrill uttered as the women turned to him and gave him an awkward look. For all they knew, he was probably right.

Once Slurpuff released his hold on Machop, she rolled away from him and breathed heavily with terror in her eyes. As if hitting him before was not hard enough, now he seemed even more difficult, especially with his new feet making him significantly faster.

Eiko trembled and whimpered, "Machop will be okay, right? I mean, she has to win this. She's a member of the Mach family. They can do anything."

"It's true that Machs have a knack for getting out of tough scrapes like this, but don't forget, she has lost before," Lairon stated, "I have no doubt victory is certainly possible, but now that Slurpuff's no longer hiding his best abilities, it's going to be a lot harder."

Slurpuff gave Machop a smug grin and folded his arms, saying, "Go on, just try and hit me again. See where that gets you," as the girl gritted her teeth. She could tell from looking at him that the only part worth aiming for was his exposed head, but with his new body, could she even land so much as a hit?

Before she could think about that, though, Slurpuff grew tired of waiting as he shrugged and said, "Well, if you're not gonna do anything, I guess I may as well have another turn."

Machop panicked as she dodged two incoming punches. Unfortunately, though, the third punch managed to hit her hard in the face as she coughed up more blood, staggering backwards as the crowd watched in horror. And things could only get worse from here when Slurpuff pierced her right shoulder with two of his claws in order to stop her from falling down. As if the pain to her shoulder was not bad enough, he followed it up with another punch to her face.

The crowd stared in horror as Isamu spat, "COME ON, MACHOP! TRY THAT MACH SHIELD THING AGAIN!" as the girl nodded and hugged herself tightly.

Unfortunately, it seemed Slurpuff already knew how to get around this as he sent an onslaught of finger punches into her arms. This put more holes in her as she cried out in pain, dropping her stance thus leaving herself open for another hard punch, this time to the gut.

"Why didn't that work?" Kelani uttered as Eiko sighed, "I know all about this. See, when Machoke used it in the Olympic finals, Lucario pierced his flesh and rendered it useless. That's why the technique isn't used often."

"It's also not considered a priority to learn it anymore," Garchomp sighed as Rinko groaned, "What's she gonna do, then? If she can't make Slurpuff waste his energy, she can't slow him down. And if she can't slow him down, there's no way she can hit his face. And if she doesn't hit his face, she'll be stuck in his frosting."

"This is Machop we're talking about," Meloetta protested with fear in her eyes, "She can find a way around this. I just know it."

It seemed as if the girl would need to think of something fast as Slurpuff wrapped his arms around her and held her up for another bear hug. He then smirked and said, "Well, I've had about as much fun as I can handle today. Guess I may as well finish this, and I know the perfect technique."

Once he felt that Machop's back had suffered enough, he proceeded to flip her upside-down while jabbing his claws into her back as she let out another cry of pain. He then leapt high into the air and exclaimed, "LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, BOYS AND GIRLS! YOU ARE ALL ABOUT TO WITNESS MY FINAL PERFORMANCE! AND I'VE DECIDED TO NAME IT USING THE WONDERFUL LANGUAGE OF THIS FINE COUNTRY!"

He then wrapped his legs around Machop's neck and barked, "PONDO KUMA DORAIBAA!" the crowd unsure of what the girl could possibly do. This truly seemed like the end.


	70. Chapter 70

It seemed as if this match was as good as finished. With Slurpuff's new battle suit made from his frosting, he had made things much more difficult for Machop than before. And to make matters worse, the girl had not only taken in a horrible beating but was now set up for what the cake dog had built up as the move to end it all, an attack he referred to as the Pondo Kuma Doraibaa.

Machoke held his hands against his head, his eyes and mouth wide open as Gardevoir trembled and whimpered, "Honey, tell me there's a way out of that. She has your genes, too. Surely, she can pull this off, right?"

"I don't know," the boy uttered, "The only thing I can see showing some results is our muscle expansion, but, well, even if she used that, she'd still be stuck in Slurpuff's frosting. I think this might be it."

"No," Torchic groaned, tears forming in her eyes, "She was so close," as Rinko and Venipede hugged each other. Even Meloetta could not bear to watch as Vigoroth let out a sigh and groaned, "I don't think any of us could have stood up to that."

Sneasel, Gyarados and Gigalith had no idea how to respond to this. And the same went for Noboru and Hana. They were used to seeing Machop get out of tough situations, but not even they could imagine a way out of this.

Jackalu watched this with horror in the hospital, Clawitzer finally starting to wake up as he gulped, thinking, 'Oh no, please don't let this be the first thing she sees. Come on!'

"Say something, Isamu!" Eiko squeaked, "It's because of you that she defeated Chesnaught! Surely you can help her out again!" Kelani nodding as the boy gulped.

He then took a deep breath and rose to his feet, shouting, "COME ON, MACHOP! I KNOW YOU CAN GET OUT OF THIS! MACHOP! MACHOP!"

Soon enough, the others joined in as soon enough, the entire area erupted with people chanting the girl's name. Slurpuff, meanwhile, giggled and squeaked, "You're all so silly!" while descending toward the mat.

However, this seemed to work as Machop's eyes widened, the girl gritting her teeth and barking, "DON'T COUNT ME OUT JUST YET!"

She then focused all her might as her muscles started to expand, Machoke barking, "HONEY, NO! THAT'LL JUST COST YOU ENERGY!" as even Roserade, Lucario, Golduck and Barbaracle were uncertain of this.

However, their tune changed when they noticed something truly shocking. Not only did Slurpuff's hold seem to weaken slightly but small cracks formed on his arms. And it was not long until everyone else could see this as well. They had no idea how this could possibly be, but there was no way they would question it.

Slurpuff started to notice this as well, his eyes widening as he blinked and uttered, "How?" and sure enough, the cracks grew bigger and spread until soon enough, his frosting arms burst into smaller pieces as Machop was free.

And with only a few seconds before she and the cake dog could make contact with the canvas, she took full advantage of this as she latched her arms around him. She then used all her might to flip him upside-down, driving his skull into the mat as the crowd went wild.

Yuki's jaw dropped as Nori stated, "No one knows how it happened, but Machop has actually managed to break open Slurpuff's frosting and save herself from defeat! Not only that, but she has even managed to deal some damage to the sentient dessert!"

Jackalu breathed a sigh of relief as Clawitzer had finally woken up, a smile on her face as she said, "Wow, Machop's doing a really good job," the dog nodding and grinning as he replied, "You better believe it."

Isamu stared in stunned silence, uttering, "She gets more and more amazing every time," as Garchomp nodded and asked, "How do you suppose she pulled that off?"

Whatever the case, Slurpuff refused to allow himself to lose. As such, once he rose back to his feet, he had his frosting return to him, reforming the arms and growling, "You won't be so lucky again, you witch!"

But as he sent a punch toward the girl, she held up her hands and grabbed hold of the fist, smirking as she said, "Hey, my hand's not sticking to it," the crowd now even more amazed.

Before Slurpuff could question this, she lifted him high above her head and slammed his back hard against the canvas. Due to the frosting covering him, he wound up taking in less damage, but it still hurt nonetheless. And once again, people were shocked to see cracks form on it.

"I noticed something quite a while ago when you used your bear hug on me, but I couldn't be too certain," Machop stated with her eyes narrowed, "Unlike before, your hair didn't feel as soft as it usually does. In fact, it felt very solid. And now that I've managed to crack it, I now know the reason."

Slurpuff stared in confusion as the girl asked, "How many times have you used this technique?" the cake dog uttering, "I used it once when learning my techniques but chose to save it for an opponent truly worthy of it."

"So that's why you're unaware of this," Machop retorted, "You've never used it on anyone until now, but yes, somehow, this new battle suit of yours has caused your frosting to harden, meaning anyone can touch it and let go whenever they want to. In other words, I no longer have to fear sticking to you if I aim any attacks at it."

Beedrill blinked as Nori uttered, "Any idea how that works?" the wasp shrugging and replying, "Well, his hair isn't made of normal frosting."

Whatever the case, it seemed as if Slurpuff was not as intimidated by this as he should have been as he smirked and said, "Well, colour me impressed, and maybe a nice shade of red. But this hardly matters. In this state, I'm still stronger than you!"

"Wait, why wouldn't he just-" Kelani uttered as Eiko shook her head and whispered, "Don't give him any ideas. Machop finally has the advantage back."

The cake tucked in his arms and legs before rolling toward Machop, shouting, "FROSTING BEACHBALL!" but just as it was about to hit, the girl noticed his skull sticking out as she sent a hard punch into it.

The crowd went wild as this caused him to halt his attack, reverting back to normal as Machop wrapped her arms around his waist. She then lifted him up and leaned backward, planting his head hard into the canvas while the crowd went wild.

"THAT'S MY GIRL!" Machoke exclaimed with a big smile, Scyther folding her arms and saying, "Leave it to a Mach to figure out a weird weakness like that."

"I know," Lopunny replied with a big grin, "Machop's so cool!" and needless to say, the girl's friends were just as happy to see all of this.

However, Slurpuff refused to accept this as he growled, "Alright, if my bear costume won't help me anymore, I guess I don't need it!"

With that in mind, he reverted his hair back to normal, his cherry returning to its original spot. He then smirked and said, "Just try and defeat me now that you can't grab my frosting anymore!"

"Oh no, he still did it!" Kelani squeaked as Isamu rolled his eyes and replied, "But because you kept quiet long enough, he didn't do it sooner," the doberman nodding with a light smile.

"Still, do you think Machop stands a chance now?" Reika asked as Torchic smirked and replied, "Don't forget, the whole reason he used that armour was because she managed to bypass his usual tactics. She's got this in the bag."

It seemed Machop thought the same as she raced toward Slurpuff. The cake dog sent his hair forward only for the girl to leap over it, aiming her feet toward his skull. However, it seemed the cake dog had seen this coming as he pointed his skull toward her and exclaimed, "CHERRY BOMB!" launching the fruit into her gut, her eyes and mouth wide open.

The crowd stared as Slurpuff took full advantage of this, turning his hair around and sending the ends toward her back. He then combined them together to form a missile shape, shouting, "FROSTING BOTTLE ROCKET!"

And sure enough, Machop took the hit to her back as she coughed up blood, the crowd panicking. It seemed that dropping the bear suit was the best decision Slurpuff could have made at this point, and it would only get worse from here as he once again separated his hair into eight ropes, binding her arms, legs, midsection and head in place.

"This may have failed before, but after everything you've done, I doubt you have the strength to counter this again," he said with a grin as he pulled her in, Isamu barking, "COME ON, MACHOP! THERE'S NO WAY THAT CAN FINISH YOU OFF!"

However, it seemed that Slurpuff might have been correct. Not only had Machop taken in a lot of pain up to this point, but she had used her muscle expansion earlier. She hardly had the strength to focus on the situation at hand as the cake dog reeled her in and flipped her upside-down.

Yuki gulped and uttered, "And it looks like Slurpuff has set Machop up for his own version of the Muscle Tombstone. What did he call it again?" Beedrill and Nori face-palming and groaning, "Muscly Pound Cake," before shaking their heads.

"Don't hate on the name," Slurpuff remarked with a smirk, "Cute but deadly is my thing. If you don't like it, you can try experiencing this for yourselves," all three announcers shuddering.

But just as the cake dog was ready to leap into the air, his eyes widened when he heard a familiar Spanish voice shout, "HEY, MACHOP, ARE YOU SERIOUSLY GOING TO LET THIS LIAR OFF SO EASY!?"

Machop weakly looked around before spotting Chesnaught, the armadillo standing tall while barking, "Come on, this is pathetic! You are so much better than this!"

"He's right," came another familiar voice as everyone turned to see Garbodor on the other side of the bleachers, "After the way you defeated me, I just can't stand to see you lose, especially to a villain. Don't forget, your life and the freedom of everyone here is at stake!"

Machop's eyes sparkled as even Vigoroth rose from her seat, shouting, "Yeah, come on, Machop! Show them the hero who has saved Tokyo so many times before!" Gyarados adding, "Where's that great warrior who showed me the light!?"

"What she said!" Sneasel spat as Gigalith pounded his fist against his chest before nodding his head.

Marshal also rose up from the third row and folded his arms, saying, "You were brought very close to defeat, but you and Torchic still managed to best Kingdra and I. I just know you can defeat this monster."

And sure enough, the rest of the crowd joined in, shouting all kinds of encouraging words. Light tears welled up in Machop's eyes as Slurpuff gagged, "Oh, gross! That's too mushy, even for me!"

He then leapt high into the air as Machop gritted her teeth, focusing as hard as she could. She may have been low on energy, but there was no way she could allow herself to lose, not after coming so close. As such, she forced her arms and head forward as the crowd gasped.

"Is that such a good idea?" Eiko uttered as Lairon sighed, "Probably not. If anything, that's probably putting more of a strain on her."

However, Isamu refused to believe that this was a waste of effort as he exclaimed, "COME ON, MACHOP! KEEP IT UP!"

Torchic nodded before chanting, "Machop! Machop!" Eiko grinning before squealing, "Machop! Machop!"

Kelani joined in along with the others, the area once again flooded with cheers for the girl. Slurpuff let out a sigh in response to this and groaned, "Can't you people ever just shut up? Seriously, it's pretty obvious she's wasting her efforts."

With that, he soon found himself high enough, twice as high as he had been the first time he attempted the move. After all, he did not just intend to finish Machop with it. He wanted to kill her.

A grin formed on his face as he squealed, "MUSCLY POUND CAKE!" descending toward the mat as Machop continued to struggle. And all the while, everyone continued to chant her name, praying that she could get out of this. Even Beedrill, Nori and Yuki could not help but join in, Machoke and Gardevoir both raising their arms in the air.

And just as it seemed like Machop was truly doomed, she let out a loud battle cry as her arms burst through the frosting, causing it to drop toward the mat in small fragments. Slurpuff's eyes and mouth widened as soon enough, the girl's neck followed as she took hold of the tips of his feet. Then using all her might, she managed to flip him over, though Slurpuff could tell how much effort it took for her to do this as she breathed heavily while sweat poured down her face.

"Pathetic," the cake dog said with a wicked smirk, "I can easily get the advantage back," but as he attempted to reverse Machop's counter, he found himself unable to do so as the girl was using all her might to prevent him from turning things around.

"Something I'll admit Chesnaught was right about is that I've never used a finishing move of my own," Machop growled, "I was okay with it before, but on the side, I've been working on plans for my own signature move and you're the perfect target to try it on."

With that, she managed to shift her legs back far enough to free them from Slurpuff's frosting before latching them onto his neck. She then pulled his feet back further, thus forcing him into an incomplete bridge formation. No one could believe what they were seeing as the cake dog cried out in pain, the two mere seconds from hitting the canvas.

A big smile formed on Isamu's face as Slurpuff's head made contact with the canvas, Machop shouting, "MACH LIGHTNING!" the cake dog coughing up blood as he closed his eyes, the girl allowing him to collapse.

Surprisingly, the leftover frosting on the mat did not rise up as if Slurpuff's current was preventing that reaction. Either way, this would at least prevent Machop from taking in any last-minute damage as Yuki started the ten count, Nori shouting, "And just like that, Machop has revealed her own original finishing move, the Mach Lightning!"

But as impressive as the move was, the crowd could not help but worry. After all, Slurpuff had taken in so much damage earlier and continued to stand. Who was to say this move would be enough?

Soon enough, though, Yuki reached ten seconds and rang the bell, Beedrill exclaiming, "And on that note, Machop has won the match! Therefor she is our new world champion!" the area erupting with cheers as Machoke and Gardevoir hugged one-another, shouting, "THAT WAS AWESOME!"

Clawitzer and Jackalu both smiled and gave each other a high five, the dog blinking and asking, "Are you okay to do that now?" the shrimp sighing, "My head was injured, not my claws."

Meloetta clapped her hands and squealed, "WAY TO GO, MACHOP!" as Vigoroth breathed a sigh of relief, saying, "She never ceases to amaze me."

"Same here," Isamu replied with a warm smile as Eiko and Kelani both rose their arms up and down, chanting Machop's name.

And needless to say, everyone else was just as happy with these results as Chesnaught folded his arms and smirked. Garbodor also gave the girl a thumb up while even the judges could not help but give her a standing ovation.

Meanwhile, in Bhopal, Gallador and his partner, a dragonfly named Yanmega, cheered and gave each other a high five. The white boy then smiled warmly and said, "You're awesome, Machop."

Machop rose her arms in the air and basked in the cheers and applause that she received. And after a while, she looked down at Slurpuff and took a deep breath, hoping that perhaps he would come around and join the side of good. One could only guess how much someone that powerful could help protect mankind.

Beedrill then proceeded to reach for a gym bag and pulled out a golden belt, flying over to the girl with an implied smile and said, "Here you go," holding it out and adding, "Not only have you become the new world champion, but you've saved so many lives, just like your father always did."

But just as the girl was about to accept the belt, all the energy she had used up had finally taken a toll on her as she groaned, falling on her back and closing her eyes. Isamu gasped and rose up from his seat, running toward the ring as the others followed close behind.

Lairon lifted the girl up and noticed the medics on standby. Thus he carried her over and placed her onto the stretcher as Machoke and Gardevoir ran toward the area with panic in their eyes.

As soon as they approached Machop, Eiko tensed up and squeaked, "Oh my god, Machoke and Gardevoir are right next to me!" Kelani blinking as the man smiled and said, "Good job, sweetie. You make this man proud," kissing her on the forehead.

Gardevoir nodded and sighed, "It was really close, just like our matches back in the day," as Machoke nodded, the medics asking, "Can we carry her to the ambulance now?"

Both nodded as she was lifted up, Noboru saying, "Well, guess we'll stop by the hospital on the way back," Hana nodding.

All the while, Meloetta smiled and said, "I'm just glad it's all over," as Vigoroth sighed, "Honestly, I kind of am too. It'll be nice not to worry about fighting for a while."

It was then that Kelani noticed the hexagons on his chest glow for the forth time, though this was only the second time he had seen it. But before he could point it out, it stopped as he blinked, now starting to wonder if this was a hidden power or something to worry about.

Whatever the case, he remembered that he had to join the others for a trip to the hospital as Beedrill bowed his head, thinking, 'Get well soon, Machop. The world needs heroes like you.'

Despite Machop's loss of energy, things had truly turned out for the best. Not only had she won the Olympics, but she had stopped a very dangerous villain. Things could only get brighter from here, or at least that seemed to be the case.


	71. Chapter 71

Note: Something worth note, and anyone who's read the original story will probably have picked up on this, but I'm not exactly sticking to the franchise's gender rules with all Pokemon, meaning some that are supposed to be male or vice-verse aren't always going to be that gender. Just thought I'd get that out there in case any of you were wondering why Yveltal is female in this story. You'll also notice hints that I did this with Hitmonchan in the first Earth's Protectors.

It had been two weeks since the Olympic finals ended. Those in charge of protecting other areas had returned, though many wished they could have said goodbye to Machop during this time. Unfortunately, that could not be done due to the fact that she had been unconscious during all of it.

Luckily, today was the day she finally woke up as all of her teen friends along with Kelani were assembled by her hospital bed. The other adults would have been there had it not been early in the day when they were usually at work. Garchomp, however, could be there as she had nothing else to do.

As Machop's eyes slowly opened, all of her friends smiled wide as Isamu asked, "Hey, Machop. How are you feeling?" the girl rubbing her head and grinning before replying, "I'm feeling fine."

She then sat upright and groaned, "God, that match took a lot out of me. How long have I been out for?" Kelani squealing, "Two whole weeks!"

The others turned to face him as Machop sighed, "Dammit. I could have done so much during that time," only for Isamu to plant a kiss on her lips with a warm smile before saying, "Don't worry about it. The important is that you're okay and, best of all, Slurpuff is behind bars and unable to hurt anyone."

"How did they lock him up?" Machop uttered, "I dunno, someone like him could easily break out of handcuffs," as Meloetta uttered, "Beedrill said something about encasing him in an iron ball. I'm not really sure how you can do that, but I can't imagine anyone breaking out of something like that."

"Whatever the case, there's something we haven't done in quite some time, isn't there?" Isamu asked as Eiko squealed with excitement, Torchic smirking and adding, "Yeah, come on, girl. You've totally earned this."

Garchomp nodded and added, "Don't forget to come home before six, Machop," the girl about to ask why only for the dragon to add, "And you'll see why if you do."

Machop nodded with a big smile and replied, "Alright," before getting up, Vigoroth sighing, "By the way, there are a few reporters outside. We can fight them off if you'd like."

The girl tapped her chin and replied, "Well, that does sound nice, but I think I'll answer a few questions. After all, it's only noon right now. I'm sure we'll have plenty of time to just hang out."

With that in mind, the group headed outside as Machop was already met with the sound of cameras and phones clicking, many trying to get a story only for the first reporter to interview Slurpuff to fight all of them off. After knocking one to the side with a hard punch to the cheek, she grinned and said, "I am here live in front of the hospital where Machop has finally recovered from two weeks of sleep! Tell me, how does it feel finally being awake again?"

"It feels awesome," the girl replied with a grin as the people cheered, "Now I can go back to my regular life. In fact, I only have a few minutes to answer questions, so if it's not too much trouble-"

"Oh, I understand," the woman replied, "I only have a few questions. For example, how long have you been working on that new finisher of yours?"

The others stood to the side as Isamu grinned and said, "Look at how famous she is. I can't say she didn't earn this."

The others nodded as Machop answered a few more questions before heading off. And it was not long until the group was at the usual club.

Once they were seated at their usual couches, the owner brought in a trey of glasses full of liquid and said, "Special drinks for my favourite regulars," setting them down, Machop's eyes sparkling when she received a slightly taller glass than that of the others.

"I figured I'd give our champion a little extra," he said with a grin, "After all, you'll always be number one in my book," Machop nodding and taking a sip, saying, "Thank you so much, sir."

Eiko stared with envy before uttering, "I wonder if maybe I should try becoming a hero. How long did it take you to be able to fight like one, Rinko?" as the brunette laughed nervously and replied, "Well, let's just say I didn't have a whole lot of free time. You really need to be dedicated if you're going to reach my level," before flexing her right arm as Venipede chuckled.

However, Torchic was not quite as comfortable as the others as she turned and looked out the window. And sure enough, many people were lined up outside, taking snapshots and video recordings as Vigoroth laughed nervously and said, "Don't worry about it. This sort of thing is expected now that we're best friends with the world champion, eh?"

Machop nodded and giggled, saying, "And to think, my grandpa got this kind of treatment all the time back in the day," as Isamu nodded and sighed, "But still, I hope it doesn't last too long. When I go on a date with you, I wanna enjoy your presence, not your fanbase."

"As long as they don't come into anyone's home, I'm fine," Machop stated as the others nodded. They could not imagine anything worse than having people break into their homes just to film them.

Suddenly, the conversation was cut short when a young woman walked over and said, "Hey, Machop," the girl turning and replying, "Hey there, Hatsuye. What's up?"

"Well, you know that animation studio I work for?" she enquired as the girl nodded and asked, "What about it?"

The woman then took a deep breath and replied, "Well, my boss wants to make an animated series with you as the main character. I was just wondering if you were okay with it. She's more than happy to offer you a portion of our profits," as Machop grinned and squealed, "Are you kidding!? That sounds awesome! You don't have to pay me a thing!"

"Thank you so much," Hatsuye said with a big smile before heading away from them, Isamu raising an eyebrow as Eiko beamed and squealed, "That's gonna be amazing! I'll definitely be one of the first to see it!"

"Oh yeah, Lucario got this treatment too, didn't he?" Torchic asked as Machop nodded and replied, "Yeah. Maybe they'll make a crossover episode with me saving his ass," before laughing with pride as Isamu chuckled nervously. He hoped that at the very least, she would not let all of this attention go to her head.

Kelani, meanwhile, enjoyed being featured on TV as he waved to the cameras, his hexagons once again glowing briefly. But much like every other time, it did not stay that way long enough for anyone to notice.

The next few hours went by quickly as the group was ready to head home. And as luck had it, the reporters and fans with cameras had called it a day, realizing they, too, needed to head back to their families for the evening.

"I have to admit," Isamu said on the way home, "I'm kinda surprised we actually have some time to ourselves," as Torchic sighed, "Thank goodness. Now I'm actually kinda glad I lost the first round. I'd hate to have people follow me around everywhere I go."

Eiko shrugged and replied, "Hey, better than being hunted down by every villain on the planet, right?" as the chicken nodded and said, "That's true. At least I've only dealt with one who cared about my lineage," Vigoroth laughing nervously.

"Even if I wasn't world champion, I still get hunted down by those types," Machop sighed, "Thus is the pain of being a member of the Mach family."

She then turned to Isamu and added, "And by the way, you don't have to worry about me letting my current fame get the better of me. I've already learned the hard way that I can't get ahead of myself during a match," the boy blinking and uttering, "Well, that's excellent. I'm not gonna lie, I was a tad worried you might get carried away the next time a villain shows up."

Rinko blinked and uttered, "I actually hadn't thought of that," as Venipede nodded and replied, "Well, it does happen to the best of us."

"Good to know it won't happen to you," Isamu said to Machop as he reached an arm over her shoulder and rested his hand against it. He then gave her a peck on the cheek as she squealed happily, Eiko feeling a tad envious.

However, that would have to wait as the group arrived home and entered, Garchomp and Lairon working on a big dinner as the dragon grinned and said, "Well, you guys are home early. You just wait in the living room and we'll call you when we're done."

"I really should have known," Machop sighed as the group took a seat on the couch, Venipede saying, "It must be awesome living with these two."

"I think it is," Meloetta squealed with a big smile, "They're so nice!" as Rinko stared at Eri, groaning, "Oh no, I forgot about the dog," biting her lower lip and trembling.

The green-haired girl stared at her and asked, "What's wrong?" as Torchic patted Rinko on the shoulder and said, "It's fine. I'm sure the dog will love being smothered in attention. Most dogs would."

"Yeah, but when I start-" Rinko uttered before sighing, "Oh, I can't help it," lifting up the collie and setting her on her lap, scratching her behind the ears.

Once six o'clock came, Garchomp grinned and set the table, exclaiming, "Dinner's ready!" Lairon saying, "It's amazing how you always manage to get it done at just the right moment."

And soon enough, everyone was gathered around as they cupped their hands together, saying, "Thank you for the food," and serving up, Rinko finally showing enough restraint not to let Eri distract her from dinner. After all, she felt it would be insulting not to eat after the dragon and her husband had poured their heart and soul into it.

After taking a bite of each item, Machop's eyes sparkled as she squealed, "This is your best meal yet!" as Garchomp nodded and replied, "Well, we only wanted the best for our champion. You've truly earned this."

"What did I do to deserve you all?" the girl asked as everyone shared a laugh, even though Kelani did not completely understand why she would ask that.

However, all went silent when suddenly, his hexagons started to glow for the second time today. At that moment, the area went silent as for the first time, the others saw it. And in seconds, the doberman noticed everyone go silent as he blinked, asking, "What's everyone looking at?"

He then looked down and squealed, "Yay! My body's glowing again!" as Eiko squeaked, "Again!?" the others unsure of whether or not this was something to worry about. And to make things stranger, the glow had not died down in mere seconds like it normally did.

"Okay, Kelani, this is really important," Eiko said with a serious look in her eyes, "How many times has this happened?" the doberman tapping his chin and saying, "Three times, I think."

"And has anything else happened?" Lairon asked as Kelani shook his head and replied, "No. But for some reason, it always disappears really fast. But it's not disappearing this time," the others now even more concerned.

"Hey, Lairon, Garchomp, do you know anyone who could look into this?" Eiko asked as the couple shook their heads, Lairon saying, "Something like this has never been witnessed before. But if it's true that nothing's ever transpired as a result and this has happened more than once, it might just be a reaction to him growing."

He then gave Kelani a serious look and asked, "When was the last time you saw it glow?" the doberman replying, "I saw it when Machop fainted after beating up Slurpuff," Vigoroth folding her arms and saying, "So two weeks ago."

"And how about the first time?" Lairon asked as Kelani tapped his chin and smiled, squealing, "I remember! It was the day after the demi-finals!"

"That's semi-finals," Isamu corrected as Lairon nodded and folded his arms, saying, "Well then, if it started that recently, it could very well just be a sign of growth. After all, we don't know anything about your species, Kelani."

"I don't either," the doberman whimpered, "I don't even know who laid my egg," as Eiko gave him a warm smile and hugged him, squealing, "Well, I'm pretty sure this is nothing to worry about! I think it's cool!"

But just as everyone was about to calm down, they all let out a cry of terror when suddenly, Kelani's mouth opened up and a beam of light shot out of it. And just as soon as it emerged, it stopped as Torchic uttered, "Okay, I think we have a reason to worry now."

It seemed that they had more to worry about than they initially thought, though as the beam seeped through the nearest window and flew through the air. As if that was not enough, it stopped in mid-air and turned southwest, resuming its flight. But why it was headed in that direction was anyone's guess.

With all said and done, Eiko and Isamu decided to take Kelani to see a doctor. However, Lairon was uncertain whether or not a human doctor could really figure this out. But with no other options, Garchomp agreed to drive them to the nearest clinic, the others naturally joining in. After all, they wanted to make sure Kelani was okay just as much as Eiko.

During the trip, the doberman asked, "Am I going to be okay, Mommy?" as Eiko nodded and sighed, "Of course you are. You'll be in good hands. Besides, you don't feel sick or anything, right?"

"Nope," Kelani squeaked with a big smile, "I'm perfectly fine!" as Isamu blinked and uttered, "Well, even so, it doesn't hurt to make sure."

During this time, the beam of light reached its location at an incredible speed, having flown all the way to Kagoshima, specifically the volcano, Mount Sakurajima. As it entered the top, it descended all the way to the bottom where a red draconian bird and a black and blue stag lived.

Along with her red body, the bird had grey feathers around her neck, the back feathers sticking out and blowing in the air. Her wings were more like arms with five claws coming from the ends of each, her tail very similar and her legs only measuring to a third of their size. She also had branching black markings leading from her underside to her forehead.

Black covered the stag's torso while his neck and head were blue. Atop his head were eight antlers with colourful protrusions attached to the middle and top of each.

The bird smiled and said, "Finally, after all this time, we'll know where our baby has gone. Lead us to him, light of order."

The stag nodded and added, "I assume we'll be flying there, correct?" the bird rising up and spreading her wings, saying, "But of course."

With that, she flapped over the stag and lifted him up by the antlers. She then flew out of the volcano and headed toward Tokyo at a fairly impressive speed. It would take them a while to get there for sure, but at the pace they were headed, they were certain they could get there before midnight. And all the while, the beam of light shot toward their destination to lead the way.

Back in Tokyo, Kelani was seated on an examination table while a doctor had given him a full checkup. All the while, Eiko, Machop and Isamu stood idly by to make sure all was well, the others waiting in the lobby. And as it so happened, the doctor had just given the doberman an X-ray scan, which revealed nothing but a healthy bone structure with nothing else inside of him.

"Well, I don't detect anything wrong with him," the doctor said with a nod, "His heart rate is normal, his reflexes are fine and there's nothing inside of him worth worrying about."

Isamu and Machop looked relieved until Eiko squeaked, "But he vomited light!" as the doctor gave her an awkward look.

After a few seconds, he nodded and said, "As I've never seen a member of this species, I don't know how to explain that. But luckily for you, I have connections on Hero Planet. I think I'll give Chansey a call and see if she knows anything about this."

"Okay," Eiko replied with a light smile, "Thank you so much," as Isamu and Machop turned to one-another, wondering if every doctor in Tokyo had such connections. After all, there was no way for them to check out another species without having at least some knowledge of it.

The conversation went for quite some time as the doctor described Kelani's appearance and explained the whole situation. When he mentioned the glowing hexagons and the light, he paused for a few seconds to listen to the response.

Once the conversation came to a close after a solid ten minutes, the doctor entered as Machop asked, "So, um, is there anything wrong?" as the doctor replied, "According to Chansey, it seems Kelani's species has never been discovered on any other planet. No one has ever seen a black and green dog let alone whatever he was when he was born, but considering nothing is really off with him, the only explanation I can think of is that this is a sign that he's growing. You say he essentially developed the mentality of a toddler in less than a month, correct?"

"That's right," Eiko replied with a nod as Isamu uttered, "It's still weird thinking about it."

"And how long has it been since that happened?" the doctor asked as Eiko replied, "Almost three months, now."

The man nodded and replied, "Well, then, this could very well be puberty for his kind," as Kelani uttered, "What's puberty?"

"Considering he still sounds and talks like a child, I'm not sure if I believe that," Isamu whispered as Machop shrugged and replied, "It would make some sense, I guess."

Either way, Kelani seemed happy as he asked, "So am I okay?" the doctor giving him a sweet smile and replying, "That appears to be the case," before turning to Eiko and adding, "Though to be on the safe side, I'm considering calling in someone from Hero Planet to either take Kelani there or bring in some technology so maybe we can find more info on this."

Eiko thought about this as Isamu smiled and said, "That might be the best option," as the pink-haired girl sighed and nodded, saying, "Okay. All that matters to me right now is Kelani's health, so do all you can to make sure he's okay."

"Excellent," the doctor said with a smile, "The shuttle should arrive by early morning. Until then, watch over Kelani to make sure nothing else happens."

With all said and done, the group was headed home as the others were dropped off at their own homes first. After all, it had gotten rather late in the evening and now that they knew there was currently nothing wrong with Kelani, they felt more at ease.

While on the way to Isamu and Eiko's house, Garchomp grinned and said, "I really hope things turn out well," as Eiko nodded and hugged Kelani.

"Hey, Isamu, I was thinking maybe I could watch over Kelani with you," Machop said as the boy rose an eyebrow, "I mean, you guys are like family to me now. If something really bad happens, I wanna be there to help."

"I'm fine with that," Garchomp replied as Eiko nodded and squealed, "Thank you so much, Machop."

And soon enough, the teens were dropped off as Meloetta asked, "Should I stay too?" as Isamu replied, "Only if you want to."

And sure enough, all four entered the house as Noboru and Hana approached Isamu and Eiko, the man asking, "So, how did it go? Is Kelani alright?"

"Well, it seems likely," Isamu replied, "We're not completely sure yet, but the doctor found nothing wrong with him, so we think this might just be a sign of him growing up. Though just to be certain, a doctor from Hero Planet's coming here to give him one final checkup just to be on the safe side."

Hana blinked and asked, "You mean he's coming here?" the boy sighing, "First of all, the doctor's a she, and secondly, she's going to stop by the same clinic we went to. We just have to bring Kelani in first thing in the morning."

"Oh, okay," the woman replied with a nod, "That makes much more sense."

At that moment, the parents noticed Machop and Meloetta and were soon cleared in on why they were staying as well. And seeing as they were simply there to check up on Kelani, they agreed that perhaps letting them sleep over would be a good idea. Thus they led the heroes to a guestroom with a bed big enough for both of them.

And with all said and done, the teens decided to spend some quality time together until midnight. As such, they went to the basement to play video games with Kelani, the doberman really happy to have this much fun with his friends.

Once eleven-thirty rolled around, Eiko walked upstairs to her room and said, "Alright, Kelani, it's way past your bedtime," the doberman nodding and squealing, "Thank you for letting me stay up late, Mommy! That was fun!"

Isamu, Machop and Meloetta watched this with sweet smiles when suddenly, they heard the doorbell ring. Though this hardly mattered when Noboru exclaimed, "Don't worry, kids! I'll get it!" as they shrugged, Isamu saying, "I wonder who'd stop by at this hour."

When Noboru opened the door, his eyes widened at the sight of a certain red bird standing before him with a stag next to her, saying, "Good evening, sir. I'm sorry to bother you, but we are looking for our son and we have reason to believe that he might be in this very house."

Soon enough, both were brought into the house and seated in the living room with Hana joining the conversation. The bird introduced herself as Yveltal while the stag told them his name was Xerneas.

"So, what does your son look like?" Hana asked as Yveltal sighed, "Unfortunately, we don't know. He was still an egg when we lost him. I was flying him back home and dropped him along the way. He's been missing for months."

The human parents stared for a few seconds as Noboru whispered, "You don't think..." only for Hana to nod and reply, "We can't be too sure, but there's no harm in letting them see him."

With that in mind, Noboru turned toward the staircase and called out, "Hey, kids, can you bring Kelani in here!?"

All four teens had tucked him in when they heard this, Kelani squealing, "Yay! I get to stay up even longer!" as Eiko giggled.

But when the group entered, they were just as shocked as Noboru had initially been to see what this was all about. And the exact second Yveltal turned to face Kelani, her eyes sparkled as she smiled and said, "He looks exactly like we thought he would.

The doberman blinked as Xerneas rose up and said, "We finally found you, our little Zygarde," the entire area going silent as no one could believe what they had just heard. Were these two really the doberman's parents?


	72. Chapter 72

Kelani was beyond confused as he looked back and forth between the bird and stag. They seemed to believe they were his parents, but even the doberman, despite only having been alive for more than three months, found this confusing. If anything, he always suspected at least one of his parents would be a dog like him. Not only that, but the name Zygarde did not sound the least bit fitting to him.

The others seemed to think this as well as Isamu asked, "Wait, are you telling me that was your egg my sister found?" as Yveltal nodded and sighed, "See, when I hatched the egg, I decided to have a little vacation in Kushiro. I brought the egg along mostly so I knew it would be in good hands, but on the way back, it slipped out of my talons, and by the time I realized this, it was too late. I searched for hours, but I wasn't able to find it."

"Quick question," Noboru asked, "When did this happen?" as Xerneas replied, "It was quite some time ago. I believe it was the same day that news article about Kingdra and Marshal's defeat was featured, right?"

Yveltal nodded as Isamu's eyes widened, the boy uttering, "That was the day you found the egg, right?" as Eiko nodded and squeaked, "Oh my god! You really are Kelani's parents, aren't you!?"

The doberman was unsure whether to be grateful or scared right now as Yveltal nodded and replied, "While it is true that the egg did not hatch, members of my family can tell when someone is related to us. I just had to take one look at those eyes and those glowing hexagons to know that you are, in fact, my son."

This all seemed far too convenient, especially since neither Yveltal nor Xerneas had these features on them. As such, Noboru was about to suggest a DNA test when the bird said, "If you still don't believe me, I'll show you more proof that we are, in fact, the parents of this child. You see, we are the only ones who know why his chest is glowing."

The others stared wide-eyed as Isamu said, "Okay, if what you're saying is true, this is definitely good news," as Machop nodded and asked, "So, is this something to worry about?" Kelani wondering the same thing as he bit his lower lip.

"Oh, heavens no," Yveltal replied with a grin, "It just means our little Zygarde here is ready to grow into his next stage of life," the others glad to hear that their initial theory was correct.

"So it is a sign of growth," Isamu said with a grin, "Guess we can let the clinic know we won't need that extra checkup after all," as Xerneas nodded and replied, "Oh, yes. Zygarde here is going to help us achieve our destiny."

The others stared as Kelani's eyes sparkled, the doberman squealing, "You mean I'm going to save the world or something like that?"

"Actually, you're going to help all of villain kind enslave it," Yveltal replied with a sweet smile, "Doesn't that sound fun?" as Machop and Meloetta wasted no time sporting fighting stances.

Kelani trembled and backed up as Eiko wrapped her arms around him, growling, "Hate to break it to you, but Kelani here, not Zygarde, is not going to help you!"

Xerneas then let out a sigh and groaned, "This is why we wanted to find him sooner, in case he wound up with a goody-two-shoes family. Unfortunately for you, we're not giving you much of a choice in the matter. While Zygarde may have the potential to overpower even us, his parents, he has not reached that potential yet. You see, while he's able to go from his child state to the form you see now on his own, he can't take on the others without our assistance, meaning unless we're involved, he will never outgrow adolescence."

Kelani trembled and whimpered, "No! I don't care if I remain a child my whole life! I'll never help you!" as Yveltal sighed, "Then I guess you give us no choice."

However, just as she readied her arms to grab the doberman, Meloetta immediately whipped out her hair and used it to bind her wrists together. Xerneas saw this and went down on all fours, charging toward the green-haired girl. Luckily, Machop saw this coming as she dashed in front of him, grabbing onto his antlers and using all her might to force him back.

"Word to the wise, don't confess to a plan like that until after you seal the deal," Machop said with a smirk, "Especially when there are heroes in the room. Did you seriously not see this coming?"

"As a matter of fact, we did!" Xerneas retorted as he swung his head to the side, sending her toward Meloetta as Yveltal managed to fight the green-haired girl's grip, flinging her into Machop.

"We know full well who you two are," Yveltal said with a smirk, "You, Machop, are the most famous of all. Not only are you the daughter of the mighty Machoke, but just recently, you won the Hero Olympics and became the world champion."

"And you, Meloetta, are a relic from the past who was easily manipulated into joining evil for a while," Xerneas added as the green-haired girl's eyes widened, Machop patting her reassuringly on the shoulder. Though it did surprise her that they knew this as barely anyone ever talked about Meloetta's alliance with Tentacruel anymore.

Either way, Machop refused to back down as she readied herself for more. However, she and Meloetta were both shocked when Yveltal held out her arm, a thick, green line shooting out of the side of Kelani's neck and stretching all the way toward her hand like a leash.

Eiko's eyes widened as the bird sighed, "We tried to be sensible, but since Zygarde won't come with us willingly, we simply have no choice," the doberman growling and trying his hardest to run away. Unfortunately, Yveltal was very strong for her age and thus was easily able to prevent his escape.

"NO!" Eiko squeaked as she tried to help Kelani along with the other humans. But just as Machop and Meloetta were about to help, Xerneas' antlers glowed as he charged and knocked them both into the wall, Yveltal overpowering the humans and using her tail to send them flying backwards as well.

As if that was not enough, Kelani was starting to feel weak as he panted heavily, a weak look in his eyes as Yveltal sighed, "I'm sorry to do this, Zygarde, but you were being unreasonable. Until you cooperate with us, we simply have no choice but to keep you on a leash."

Machop gritted her teeth and growled, "Do you seriously think two hits are going to keep us from fighting back!?" as Meloetta nodded and squeaked, "We're not gonna let you take our friend!"

Xerneas was about to retort only for Yveltal to hold up her hand, saying, "You know, this is hardly a good place to have a fight. This house is so lovely and I would hate to damage it further. Therefor, I propose that we have two simultaneous matches to decide this. I will face you, Machop, because you intrigue me."

"So you're leaving me with Meloetta?" Xerneas remarked as the bird nodded, the stag shrugging and saying, "That's fine by me. That just means I get to punish the traitor."

"Alright, fine, name the time and place," Machop growled, folding her arms as Eiko watched Kelani fall asleep with horror in her eyes.

"Hey, hon, what do you think of the Tokyo Dome?" Xerneas asked as Yveltal nodded and replied, "The location of the Olympic finals? Why not. I can't think of anything more fitting. Not to mention it would be most ironic for the world champion to lose there."

"You'll be eating those words soon enough!" Machop retorted, "Now give us a time already!" as Xerneas and Yveltal both nodded at one-another before saying, "One o'clock in the morning."

"Wait, you mean less than an hour from now?" Noboru uttered, his eyes wide open as Hana gasped, "That's way too late! We were just about to go to bed!"

"Yes, but imagine how hard sleeping will be tonight knowing that your precious little whatever you decided to call our son is in danger," Xerneas retorted, "We'd much rather take care of business as soon as possible, so you'd better hurry on over if you want him back."

With all said and done, Yveltal opened the door and nodded at Xerneas, lifting him up with her talons before taking off into the air toward the Tokyo Dome. Machop stared silently as Noboru sighed, "Well, come on. We'll drive you there."

As much as Eiko would have normally loved the idea of staying up this late, she was far too worried about Kelani to care. She may not have been his real mother nor did she really consider herself his legal mother, but she had hatched his egg and raised him since birth and thus she felt that his safety was her responsibility.

And soon enough, the group was on their way to the Tokyo Dome as news very quickly spread of the match. And along the way, Machop and Meloetta had called up the others to let them know what was going on, and needless to say, they were all more than ready to head down and support their friends.

This was slightly inconvenient for Vigoroth and Torchic as they were just about ready for bed, though this was not a big deal for Rinko and Venipede as the two had decided to stay up late to watch a movie together. And while they had not yet finished it, they were happy to put it on hold if it meant being there for Machop and Meloetta.

Luckily, it was not particularly long before everyone arrived, Machop and Meloetta immediately getting themselves ready for the match while a news crew was gathered around to film the event. As it so happened, word had spread very quickly as many had chosen to stay up late just to witness this event, including Nori and Yuki.

Yveltal waited in one ring while Xerneas was in another, both of which were next to each other as Yuki yawned and groaned, "Well, we were about to head off to bed, but it would seem that only one day after her recovery, Machop is already in another match as she has been challenged by Yveltal. Though this is not your ordinary good versus evil struggle as the freedom of Kelani, who is apparently their son, is at stake."

"Excuse me," Yveltal retorted as Nori blinked, the bird flying over and asking, "May I borrow your microphone?"

"Um, sure," Nori replied with her eyes wide open, handing it over as Yveltal stated, "For the record, our son's name is Zygarde! Kelani was the name the ignorant human who hatched him gave him and it's completely unfitting!"

However, when everyone turned to look at the doberman, who was still sound asleep and now bound to the side of the bird's ring, they all felt that Kelani was a more fitting name for one who looked so cute. But even so, none of them would dare question the logic of a powerful villain, at least not when she was still capable of harming them.

Eiko and the others were already in the front row as Eiko let out a sigh and whimpered, "I really hope they win," as Isamu patted her on the shoulder and replied, "Hey, this is Machop and Meloetta we're talking about here. At the very least, Machop can win this for sure."

Rinko nodded and said, "Don't forget, she dealt with all kinds of torment from Slurpuff and still came out on top. It's also worth note that Meloetta did an excellent job keeping Cranidos and Shieldon at bay while Vigoroth was unconscious."

"Not to mention she beat me up pretty easily," the sloth added with a smirk as Eiko breathed a sigh of relief, saying, "Yeah, you're right."

The crowd seemed fully confident that Machop could win at the very least as many wore clothing with her face on them. One member of the crowd shouted, "You made a big mistake, bird lady! Machop's gonna clean your clock!" another adding, "You don't mess with the world champ! She can kick anyone's ass in a heartbeat!"

During this time, the two girls had spent ten minutes training as Machop asked, "You ready for this? Don't forget, this isn't like when you and Vigoroth fought in a team match. I'm not allowed to help you out during this."

"I know," the green-haired girl replied with a sweet smile, "As long as it's to protect the innocent, I will fight to the bitter end. Besides, you may not be allowed to help me, but Yveltal isn't allowed to help Xerneas either, so it's a lot more fair than when we fought in the house."

Machop nodded before blinking and saying, "I just noticed something. Xerneas, Yveltal and Zygarde," Meloetta gasping, "X, Y and Z!"

The two then stared at one-another before giggling briefly, but they quickly remembered they needed to stay focused. After all, even though Machop was the world champion, that did not mean failure was impossible for her.

The duo noticed they only had fifteen minutes to prepare themselves further as Meloetta asked, "Hey, Machop, can you help me with something?"

Once one o'clock finally rolled around, Nori and Yuki both took big sips of coffee as the older woman exclaimed, "Alright, folks, it's finally time for the big event we all postponed our sleep for! Let's hope to god this was worth it!"

"Representing the side of evil are Xerneas and Yveltal who are already in the ring!" Yuki stated as the crowd booed them, one shouting, "YOU'RE GOING DOWN!" as both villains waved to the crowd with big grins on their faces.

"And fighting for the sake of the world and, um, Zygarde's freedom-" Nori said as Yveltal replied, "Thank you," the older woman nodding and adding, "We've got the Hero Olympics champion, a hero who has saved Tokyo countless times and that powerful idol who has truly proven herself both a master of combat and the dance floor! Machop and Meloetta, everyone!"

The crowd was prepared for a typical Machop entrance when suddenly, they heard background music as she and Meloetta approached the ring with idol outfits on. Both danced toward the ring while Meloetta sang a beautiful, epic song about freedom. Needless to say, the crowd was much more excited as they applauded the two, Torchic uttering, "Well, I'll be. Out of all the overblown entrances Machop's given us, this is actually really cool."

"I know," Venipede replied, "They're usually so embarrassing," as Rinko nodded and added, "Not only that, but it gives Meloetta a real chance to shine."

Yveltal folded her arms as both girls entered the separate rings, the bird saying, "I have to admit, that was actually quite entertaining. It's good to know you both have the energy to fight us despite this match being held so early in the morning."

"Yeah, well, we heroes always gotta be prepared, right?" Machop replied with a smirk as Meloetta really hoped her energy would last. After all, while Machop had woken up at noon, giving her plenty of energy, the green-haired girl had been awake since eight in the morning and had not taken a nap.

Even so, neither could afford to feel tired as Yuki exclaimed, "Alright, the combatants are set! So without further ado, let us begin!" ringing the bell.

Machop wasted no time racing toward Yveltal. And before the bird could respond, the girl leapt at her with her arm out and spat, "MOON HOOK!" hitting her neck hard. She then kept a tight grip on that very spot and swung behind Yveltal before placing her free hand against her chest.

The crowd cheered wildly as she leapt into the air and leaned backward, planting the back of the bird's head into the canvas. Needless to say, she was off to a good start and would not allow herself to lose this advantage any time soon.

Meanwhile, Meloetta had bound Xerneas in place with her hair as she stood on one foot and shouted, "PIROUETTE SWING!" But just as she was about to twirl, she found herself unable to do so as the stag spread out his legs with a smirk, saying, "Interesting technique, but unfortunately for you, I've developed a stance that makes it really hard to move me."

The green-haired girl's eyes widened as he stood on one foot himself and added, "By the way, I can also do mean pirouette," before twirling and flinging Meloetta into the turnbuckle.

Eiko bit her lower lip upon seeing this as Isamu gulped and uttered, "Don't worry, I'm sure she can still win," as the siblings turned to the ring Machop was fighting in. Luckily, she had maintained her advantage over Yveltal, sending an onslaught of punches into her face before kicking her hard in the gut, causing her to back up while the crowd continued to cheer.

But just as the girl raced toward Yveltal with the intention of adding to the damage, the bird smirked and flapped her wings, rising up into the air. She then swung her tail between her legs with her claws clenched into a fist, hitting Machop hard in the face before opening them up and clutching onto that very spot. The crowd gasped as Yveltal flipped herself all the way around, flinging Machop into the turnbuckle as she groaned in pain.

Eiko squeaked in panic as things were also looking worse for Meloetta. The green-haired girl had attempted to fight back with her ballet kicks only for Xerneas to lean forward just far enough to send a hard punch into her face. He then unleashed a barrage very similar to the one Machop had just used on Yveltal, only his punches were much quicker as Meloetta's face was already bleeding.

"Don't feel too bad about this," the stag said as he sent both hooves into her face thus sending her tumbling backwards, "In all honesty, I could tell from the moment I saw you use that hair of yours that you never stood a chance against me, so this isn't a fault on your part. If anything, I commend you for trying your hardest."

He then knelt down on all fours and started counting with his left foot as his antlers glowed, Meloetta groaning and rising back to her feet. There was no way she would allow him to win, not when so much was at stake.

All the while, Machop seemed to have lost her advantage as Yveltal lifted her up by the head with her tail once more. She then threw said part backwards thus forcing the rest of Machop to flip upside-down. The bird shifted her arms back just in time to latch onto the girl's ankles, thus sending her face-first into the mat while shouting, "TRIPLE ARM DRIVER!"

Machop's face was now bleeding as the crowd stared in horror, the bird releasing her hold and allowing her to collapse. And while this went on, Xerneas charged toward Meloetta and shouted, "GEOMANCY STAMPEDE!"

The green-haired girl refused to let him land another attack as she exclaimed, "HYPER VOICE!" unleashing a loud sound from her mouth.

The sound waves not only slowed down Xerneas' movement but also put a number of small cuts on him. However, he ignored the pain and did his best to fight the gust, his legs slowing down and weakening by the second.

But just as it seemed like Meloetta had finally gotten the drop on the stag, her eyes started to sag as she found herself unable to continue. Thus she stopped making her loud noise and breathed heavily, sweat pouring down her face thus allowing Xerneas to advance forward, all strength returning to his legs.

'No!' she thought as the others watched in horror, Eiko squeaking, "COME ON, MELOETTA!"

But it was too late as Xerneas rammed his antlers into her, causing her to cough up a bit of blood. However, his attack was far from over as he locked her arms in place with the very part he had hit her with and propelled himself high into the air. And to top it all off, he proceeded to lean backwards when he felt he was high enough and shouted, "GEOMANCY SUPLEX!"

Everyone stared in horror as Xerneas leapt away from the green-haired girl. It seemed his move had finished her for good as she was barely breathing at this point, Nori exclaiming, "And despite her best efforts, Xerneas seems to have defeated Meloetta! Let's see if Machop can get her advantage back!"

The crowd started cheering her on as she slowly rose to her feet only for Yveltal to strike her with her tail and knock her on her back again. The bird then let out a sigh and said, "I am so disappointed right now. I expected so much more of a challenge from the world champion, but if you're the best mankind has, then they're screwed."

"Hey, shut up!" Rinko spat, "So she's taken in a few hits! Don't forget how much damage she dealt to you earlier!"

"Do you honestly believe that was her doing!?" Yveltal retorted as the area went silent, Isamu and Eiko especially scared by these words. Had the bird just implied what they thought she did?

"That's right," Yveltal stated as Machop gritted her teeth and tried to rise back to her feet, "I let you hit me those first few times because I wanted to see what kind of skills the Hero Olympics champion had. Honestly, I'm not impressed. All this does is prove how pathetic your opponents were."

With all said and done, Yveltal took to the sky as Torchic shouted, "Come on, Machop! Show her how awesome you are!"

"Yeah, you're so much better than this!" Rinko exclaimed while Venipede added, "You've dealt with far worse than this! This is nothing!"

Vigoroth nodded and barked, "Seriously, where's that awesome powerhouse who stood up to an onslaught in almost every one of her matches and continued to stand!?" Noboru, Hana and Isamu joining in.

However, despite only having taken in a few hits, Machop still felt surprisingly weak as Yveltal was now ten feet above the ring, a red light surrounding her body. She then soared toward the girl at an incredible speed, shouting, "OBLIVION WING!"

Machop was just about to finally rise to her feet when the bird's beak hit her hard in the gut. Thus she coughed up blood as an explosion formed around the two, Eiko shouting, "NO! MACHOP!"

Once the smoke cleared, the crowd was aghast to see Machop lying there with her eyes rolled to the back of her head. Her arms and legs were spread out as Isamu and Eiko panicked more than ever before.

However, the crowd refused to believe what they had just witnessed as one rose up and shouted, "COME ON, MACHOP! YOU'RE THE WORLD CHAMP! RISE TO YOUR FEET!" another barking, "I know you can do it!"

Soon enough, the entire crowd was cheering heavily for the girl, but unfortunately, it seemed that Yveltal's attack had truly brought an end to the match. Machop was no longer conscious as Nori slowly lifted her gavel, ringing the bell and uttering, "And despite their best efforts, Machop and Meloetta have lost, thus Yveltal and Xerneas have won custody of Zygarde."

Even after hearing it from the announcer's mouth, this was still impossible for the crowd to believe. As if Meloetta losing was not enough, even Machop had been defeated. This was truly a dark day.


	73. Chapter 73

Eiko let down tears after what she had just witnessed and heard. Both Meloetta and Machop had lost meaning that she had no choice but to allow Xerneas and Yveltal to take Zygarde away from her.

The others stared wide-eyed as Torchic gritted her teeth and growled, "Alright, screw the agreement! Lemme at 'em!" before leaping toward the ring with her beak on fire, shouting, "FIRE PECK!"

However, Yveltal easily saw this coming as she flew up to the chicken's level, taking hold of her face and flipping her backward and upside-down. She then latched her wings around her ankles and sent her face-first into the ground, shouting, "TRIPLE ARM DRIVER!"

Xerneas folded his arms and smirked, saying, "Idiot," as this seemed to be more than enough, Torchic lying on the surface with her leg twitching and her tongue sticking out the side of her beak.

"Anyone else?" Yveltal asked with a smirk, "I know our agreement was to only fight Machop and Meloetta, but we welcome the challenge."

Rinko and Venipede nodded as the centipede leapt toward Xerneas, rolling up into a ball as his shoulder blades formed. The stag saw this coming as his antlers glowed, the coloured formations on the sides growing longer as he lowered his head and shouted, "GEOMANCY!"

Rinko, meanwhile, leapt toward Yveltal with her arm at the ready, barking, "ARM SCHWERT!"

When Venipede's blades made contact with Xerneas' antlers, it seemed as if he would overpower them. Unfortunately, this did not last as the antlers proved too powerful, thus the stag took full advantage of this, lifting up his arms and sending them hard into the centipede's side, thus causing him to revert to a more normal state. As if that was not enough, his body was also covered in holes due to the coloured protrusions piercing his flesh.

While this happened, Yveltal flew toward the incoming Rinko. The brunette swung her arm toward the bird only for her to fly higher, thus causing the attack to miss. She then sent a hard punch with her tail into Rinko's skull, sending her careening toward the ground.

With Venipede in his grasp, Xerneas leaned backwards and planted his skull hard into the mat at the exact same time Rinko made contact with the ground. And sure enough, both had suffered the same fate as Torchic, the crowd's panic rising by the second.

Vigoroth gritted her teeth and growled, "Don't worry, Eiko! I'll get Kelani back!" leaping toward the area with her arms spread out and her claws at the ready.

Once she was close enough, Xerneas leapt toward her while Yveltal flew. And once both were right next to the sloth, her eyes widened as the stag spun around and sent his foot into her right cheek. Things only got worse when the bird swung her tail fist into the opposite side of her head, Vigoroth coughing up blood as she fell forward, her chin hitting the ground hard.

Eiko, Isamu and their parents stared in horror as Nori stated, "Well, folks, you all just witnessed this. All six of Tokyo's heroes have lost to Yveltal and Xerneas. Is there no one who can stop them?"

But just as it looked like the villains had truly won, their eyes widened when a familiar feminine voice grunted, "Hey, Miss Nori, retract your final verdict! I'm not done yet!"

The area went silent, the crowd just about ready to cheer as Machop had risen to her feet, though she was breathing rather heavily with a weak look of anger in her eyes. But just as Xerneas was ready to continue, Yveltal held up her hand and said, "Don't bother."

"What's wrong!?" Machop retorted with a smirk, "You scared that I'm the one who was able to keep fighting!?" only to cough up more blood as she fell forward, her chin hitting the ground hard as Eiko let down tears and cried, "NO!"

She was just about to get up and race toward the area when Isamu placed a firm grip on her shoulders, sighing, "I'd love to go in there and help too, but there's nothing we can do," the pink-haired girl sniffing, "I know, but I have to try!"

However, the boy would not let her advance forward and put herself in harm's way as Yveltal took hold of Zygarde's leash. However, just as she and Xerneas were ready to take off, the bird turned toward Machop and said, "Bring her along."

The crowd gasped in horror as Xerneas remarked, "What?" as Yveltal added, "While I hardly think she's deserving of her title, I think the world will fear us even more knowing we have their champion in our grasps."

"Of course," the stag replied with a smile as Isamu rose up and gasped, "NO!" Noboru and Hana holding him and Eiko back.

"Wait, if you want the world to fear you so much, why not just kill her?" one member of the crowd asked as everyone gave him a cold look, Isamu barking, "DON'T GIVE THEM IDEAS!"

"Oh, you needn't worry about that," Yveltal remarked with a smirk, "The truth is, we don't intend to kill anyone. See, when Zygarde reaches his full power, no one will be able to stop us, not even her, but if we were to kill her, well, that would be one less slave for us. After all, one cannot rule the planet without as many servants as possible."

There were so many things everyone wanted to say in response to this, but they were too afraid to speak up. As such, Yveltal flew up into the air, using her talons to clutch onto Xerneas' antlers while cradling Zygarde with her tail. Xerneas, meanwhile, held Machop tightly in his arms as the villains were more than ready to take off.

But just as they were about to do so, Yveltal smirked and said, "By the way, if anyone wants to play the hero and come after us, you're more than welcome. We live in Mount Sakurajima. That's in Kagoshima, in case you were wondering.

And with that, the villains took off with their captives at an amazing speed, Eiko rising up and growling, "Mom, Dad, can I have money for a trip to Kagoshima!?" only for Noboru to sigh, "First off, a flight is very expensive. But secondly, you'd be much better off staying here. You heard them. They gave away their location. I'm sure heroes from around the world will assemble to take them down."

As much as it pained Isamu, he had to admit that they had a point. As such, he clenched his fists and gritted his teeth, grunting, "Listen to them, Eiko. They know what they're talking about. There are hundreds of heroes all around the world. We saw a good number of them during the Olympics. I have no doubt they will get Kelani and Machop back easily."

But as he said this, tears rolled down his cheeks as he had never felt more helpless in his life. Even if he had not been held back and had gone down there to help, it would not have made a difference. Right now, all he and his family could do was make sure the other heroes who had fallen today would be okay.

As such, the heroes and their human friends spent the rest of the night in the hospital. While Lairon and Garchomp had not yet been informed of the events, they would know as soon as they received the day's newspaper.

Meanwhile, Yveltal and Xerneas had returned to their home before retracting the leash back into Zygarde's neck. Thus he slowly opened his eyes and squeaked in terror, looking around and whimpering, "Where am I!? Where's Mommy!?"

"Why, I'm right here, son," the bird replied with a sweet smile as he turned and breathed heavily. He was about to question all of this until he turned and noticed Machop unconscious and trapped inside a clear cylindrical capsule.

"As you can see, Machop and her friends failed to keep you away from us," Xerneas explained, "But you should be happy. Now you can live with your real mommy and daddy, but also, you can finally reach your teens thanks to us."

Zygarde growled and backed away, retorting, "No!" Yveltal frowning as he held up a defensive stance, saying, "If you really need me to help you take over the world, then that means I must be stronger than you! I'll beat you up myself and save Machop and then Mommy will be really proud of me!"

Xerneas folded his arms and asked, "Are you sure about that? Do you even know how to fight?" the doberman retorting, "I've seen the others enough times to know!"

He then raced toward the stag and sent his palm toward him only for his attack to be easily blocked. He sent a kick toward Xerneas' shin, but the stag sent a kick of his own outward and despite holding back a little bit, he managed to easily overpower the doberman.

Zygarde felt helpless now as he sent a flurry of punches forward only for Xerneas to push on his head, preventing him from hitting him. Yveltal took full advantage of this and flew behind the doberman, reaching her wing around him and poking his hexagons with one claw from the end of each.

At that moment, Zygarde's eyes and mouth were wide open as his body changed to that of a tall snake with two green arms. His lower body and tail were the same colour on the front with the backside being black, his upper body matching that colour. His eyes were shaped more like hexagons with three green ones right next to each. The tip of his tail was also green and had five tendrils on the end. And sticking up from the back of his head were five black frills with two green hexagons near the top of each one.

"There, now most of your power has been unlocked," Yveltal said with a smile, "All you need now is to enter adulthood and you'll be ready to rule this planet with us."

As if the transformation was not enough, it seemed as if Zygarde's entire personality changed as he bowed his head and replied, "But of course. I can't wait to take over the world with you. This is gonna be sweet."

Due to the fact that the humans were unable to fall asleep until two-thirty in the morning, the entire group woke up around ten. This included the heroes as Vigoroth rubbed her head, groaning, "Oh, god, are you serious?"

"You're not alone," Rinko grumbled, "I didn't even land so much as a hit," Venipede sighing, "Me neither."

Torchic, meanwhile, looked at Eiko with concern. The pink-haired girl still had tears from her sleep as Isamu let out a sigh, looking down.

"I'm so sorry," the chicken groaned as Eiko sighed, "Don't apologize. You did the best you could. I wish I could be strong like you. Then I could have saved Kelani from those monsters."

But while the others were focused on that, Meloetta looked around and asked, "Where's Machop? Was she brought to another room?" only for the humans to go silent, Noboru biting his lower lip and rubbing the back of his neck. And when Hana looked down, trying her hardest not to cry, the heroes very quickly put two-and-two together.

"Oh no," Torchic groaned as Meloetta squeaked, "But why!? What do they need her for!?"

"Well, according to Yveltal, they're not going to kill her," Isamu replied with a sigh, "They plan to keep her as proof that they defeated her in combat in case anyone decides to challenge them. The only reason they've kept her alive is so she can serve them when they take over the planet."

"You mean if they take over," Noboru replied only for the boy to ram his fist into the wall, grunting, "Do you honestly think the other heroes in the world will really stand a chance against them!? You saw how easily they beat everyone! You saw how powerful they are! I don't even think all of the heroes in the world will be strong enough to get Zygarde and Machop back!"

"Um, Isamu, his name is-" Eiko uttered only for the boy to retort, "You heard them! He is their son now, therefor we may as well call him Zygarde! That's the name they gave him before he was born, and seeing as they're likely gonna be our new leaders soon, we may as well honour that!"

Everyone stared at the boy with horror in their expressions, Hana uttering, "Son, where is this coming from?" only for Isamu to retort, "Where do you think!?" his eyes welling up with tears, "Yveltal alone was enough to defeat Machop with ease! Just admit it! There is no hope! We may as well just enjoy whatever time we have left before those freaks enslave us all!"

At that moment, Eiko rose up from her seat and marched over to Isamu, slapping him hard across the cheek. The others gasped as the boy rubbed that very spot, the pink-haired girl squeaking, "Are you really going to lose faith just like that!? The Isamu I know would never do that!"

Isamu stared in stunned silence as she added, "So our friends failed last night! So what!? It's not like they've never lost before! Even Machop lost her first match on Earth, but did she give up!? No! She rose her way up to glory and became the world champion! I'm sure if we go to Kagoshima and challenge them, they can win! Right, guys!?"

The heroes stared awkwardly for a few seconds until Vigoroth nodded and pounded her fist against her palm, grunting, "She's right! There's no way I'm letting humiliation like that go!"

"Me neither," Rinko added with a stern look, "I'll march right up to that Yveltal and smack her in the face!" Venipede nodding in agreement.

Torchic smirked and said, "I'm all for this plan," as Meloetta took a deep breath and replied, "As long as it's for the sake of our friends and the world, I'm in."

Isamu blinked as the chicken sighed, "Look, there's no way we're going to back down just because of one loss. We promise that we'll get Machop back, and we'll also rescue Kelani," before smiling at Eiko, the pink-haired girl's eyes sparkling.

Isamu looked around as all the others gave him thumbs up. Something about their confidence filled him up with the same level as he took a deep breath, wiping his eyes. He really felt like he should have known better than to underestimate such an amazing group, especially after all they had done.

With that in mind, he took a deep breath and smiled, saying, "Well, Kagoshima is pretty far, but it's better than sitting around and doing nothing," before sighing, "Just don't tell Machop about my outburst earlier. I'm not exactly proud of that."

"I'll tell her you were the most level-headed of all of us in this situation," the chicken replied with a grin as the others laughed, Eiko breathing a sigh of relief.

Soon enough, the group was assembled at the airport where they had booked a flight to Kagoshima, Isamu, Eiko and their parents there to see them off. All the while, Eiko let out a sigh and groaned, "I wish I could go with them."

"As ideal as that sounds, it's best you stay here," Noboru replied, "After all, they're going up against deadly villains, and for all we know, Yveltal and Xerneas might have followers. If you went, you'd only get in their way."

"Yeah, you're right," Eiko replied with a sigh as Isamu smiled and patted her on the shoulder, saying, "You're being really mature about this whole thing. I'm proud of you, sis. You're practically doing my job for me."

This lifted her spirits slightly as the heroes were ready to head off, all of them waving to their human friends. But before they could head toward the plane entrance, Lairon and Garchomp entered the area and approached the group.

"Thank god, we didn't miss you," Lairon sighed as Garchomp held up some plastic bags and said, "We packed you some home-made snacks in case you get hungry. After all, the trip itself will be pretty long."

"Thank you so much," Meloetta squealed as Lairon smiled and said, "Any time. But seriously, don't let Machop's absence from the group discourage you. She may have the most impressive track record, but I'm sure you can pull this off. Besides, if anyone else accepts that challenge of theirs, you'll most likely have help."

Torchic nodded and replied, "I'm sure we'll get plenty of that. I doubt anyone else is just gonna sit around and let two villains enslave humanity."

Rinko nodded and said, "That's right. I'm willing to bet every hero in the world has assembled for this," Venipede adding, "Yeah, if we all work together, we can stop this threat for sure."

With all said and done, the heroes boarded the plane while Isamu and Eiko patted each other on the shoulder and nodded. After all, each one had someone special taken from them this morning, so they were both praying for the best.

"Well, we best head home," Noboru said with a light smile as Eiko replied, "You go on ahead," Isamu adding, "Yeah. We just wanna see the plane off first. We'll catch a bus back."

"Well, if you're sure," Hana replied, "Don't take too long, though. Your father and I are gonna prepare you a nice casserole to help keep your minds at ease."

"You really don't have to do that," Isamu replied, but the adults simply saw this as him being humble. However, it seemed he had a different meaning entirely as he and Eiko grinned at one-another once all four had left the area.

And while the heroes were ready to take off, it was just as Lairon and Noboru predicted. Quite a few others had seen the report and were more than happy to take action against these villains.

Currently, Jackalu and Clawitzer were in the middle of booking a flight of their own as the dog grinned upon approaching the ticket booth and said, "We'll take first class," only for the shrimp to retort, "No, we are going to save money by taking a normal flight!"

"But I wanna take first class!" Jackalu whined as Clawitzer sighed, "We're taking middle class and that's final," the dog folding his arms and grumbling, "Fine."

Surprisingly, Marshal was on his was to Kagoshima as well. After all, Machop had helped show him the light.

Gallador and Garbodor were also on their way after the white boy's flight had stopped in the garbage pile's assigned city. And while Garbodor may have been bitter toward Gallador before, he had no problem working alongside him now.

Of course Sneasel and Gigalith were headed to Kagoshima as well. There was no way they would allow their friends in Tokyo to do this by themselves no matter how much faith they had in them.

Fletchinder of course went as not only did she want a piece of the action, but Talonflame would have scolded her for not putting up the effort. After all, he had done something similar when he and Lucario entered the reverse world to try and prevent Giratina's revival.

The last one headed toward Kagoshima was Delphox as she had a feeling Rinko and Venipede would be there. After all, they were her first real friends and she wanted to be there for them.

With fourteen heroes headed toward the volcano, there was no doubt Yveltal and Xerneas would have a lot of trouble. But would Zygarde's new power make them that much more difficult to defeat or would he not make that much of a difference? Only time would tell.


	74. Chapter 74

It would only be two hours until the heroes of Tokyo arrived in Kagoshima and they were certain that when they arrived, they would be able to save their friends. They could not afford failure, not when the world's freedom was at stake.

The flight was fairly peaceful due to the fact that there were only two other passengers, both of which were dressed in big trench coats and fedoras. But while this was certainly strange, it also allowed the heroes to focus more on planning as they were all seated close together.

"I'm betting there will probably be some kind of entrance," Torchic stated as Rinko nodded and added, "Yeah, I doubt they'd set up their base of operations in a volcano and not modify it so it can double as a home."

Meloetta, all the while, trembled and whimpered, "Guys, those two look suspicious," pointing at the strangers in the coats as Torchic blinked and frowned, whispering, "You're right. What if they're working for Yveltal and Xerneas?"

Rinko nodded and said, "Alright, we'll pretend we don't notice them and then jump them when they least expect it. That way, they can't get the drop on us first," as Venipede implied a smile and said, "That's my girl," ruffling her hair as she chuckled.

With that in mind, Vigoroth rose from her seat and said, "Excuse me, guys, I need to take a leak," the others nodding as Torchic gave her a toe up.

She then walked by the figures, both of which were looking toward the floor with their hands on their laps. And just as the sloth was right behind them, she reached her arms around their necks, shouting, "NOW!" the strangers' eyes widening with terror as they struggled to free themselves.

Torchic nodded and leapt toward them, planting a talon in each one's gut. As soon as she did so, the hats of the figures flew off of them as their faces were revealed, the chicken staring silently as Rinko blinked and uttered, "What the hell?"

As it so happened, the two wearing the coats were Isamu and Eiko, the pink-haired girl giggling nervously and saying, "Um, hi."

Meloetta breathed a sigh of relief as Venipede trembled and uttered, "What are you two doing here!? You should be at home right now!"

"Look, I'm sorry," Isamu sighed, "I know this is really irresponsible, especially for me, but I just have to make sure Machop and Kelani are alright. I can't just sit back and pray for the best."

"Same here," Eiko sighed, "We came up with the idea shortly before the trip to the airport. Isamu tried to talk me out of it, but I need to be there," tears welling up in her eyes as the heroes groaned, slapping their foreheads. There was no way they could say no to such a thing.

"Well, guess that settles that," Vigoroth sighed, "As long as you two stay out of trouble, it should be okay," the humans nodding with big smiles.

After a few seconds, though, Torchic realized something as she asked, "How did you two get on here, anyway? And where did you get those big coats?" Eiko giggling and replying, "Well, we borrowed the coats from Mom and Dad. As for how we got on, um, you tell them, Isamu."

The boy nodded and said, "Before you assume anything, we didn't do anything illegal. Eiko wanted to sneak on, but I'd rather not break the law, even if it is for a good cause, so I paid for our tickets."

"Oh, thank god," Torchic sighed, "I thought you two did something illegal," as Rinko asked, "But wait, where did you get the money? Your father didn't lend you any, did he?"

"Well, unlike Eiko, I've been saving my money ever since I got my first allowance," Isamu replied as the pink-haired girl stuck her tongue out, the boy adding, "As such, affording a flight to Kagoshima wasn't that hard for me. Though it has reduced the odds of me getting into college immediately after graduation."

Eiko giggled nervously and replied, "Sorry, bro," only for Isamu to roll his eyes and remark, "I probably would have decided to go even if you hadn't pressured me into it. Don't blame yourself for this," the siblings then sharing a hug as the heroes smiled sweetly at them.

During this time, Yveltal and Xerneas were showing Zygarde around their base seeing as he was now loyal to them. And just as Torchic and Rinko had suspected, both villains had renovated the volcano to work as a home for them, even finding an effective way to keep the magma from rising.

And as was also expected, they had a variety of helpers in their base, all of them shocked to meet Zygarde. After all, they had been assigned to search for him months ago, so to see their leaders find him without their help did make them feel a little ashamed for not doing it themselves. As it so happened, Gourgeist and Trevenant, the two who had tried to take Zygarde away from Eiko after he was born, were also working for Yveltal and Xerneas, but seeing as they were still behind bars on Hero Planet, the dragon was unable to meet them on better terms for the time being.

Either way, he seemed to really like his new home when suddenly, a big red dinosaur with a pointy hunch on his back entered the area. Attached to the sides of his hunch was a big metallic-looking ring with blue and yellow circles lining the sides and top. He had pointed ears and bright blue eyes along with bushy yellow eyebrows and a matching mandible. Each of his cheeks had a spiked protrusion extending to his lower jaw and his chest had four yellow diamond-shaped markings on it. His legs and arms were short, thin and black while his forearms and feet were bulky and red, three golden claws on the end of each.

Upon seeing him, Yveltal smiled and said, "Oh, Volcanion, just the guy I wanted to see," as the dinosaur stating, "Oh yes. I heard you found your son."

Xerneas nodded and replied, "Well, you heard correctly. Introduce yourself," the dragon nodding and holding out his fist, saying, "Hey, I'm Zygarde. Nice to meet you."

Volcanion blinked and pounded his fist against the dragon's before saying, "Nice to meet you, too," as he looked back and forth between him and his parents, thinking, 'Seriously? This guy came from a bird and a stag? Is there something Yveltal's not telling us?'

He then resumed focus as Yveltal said, "By the way, we figure we might have a few heroes coming here later to try and stop us. Even we have our limits, so I want you to make sure the others are at least prepared for any surprise attacks."

Volcanion nodded and asked, "How many are you expecting?" as Xerneas replied, "Considering Yveltal here gave away our location to the entire world, we'll probably have at least a hundred heroes coming here for our heads."

"A hundred!?" the dinosaur retorted with his eyes wide open as Xerneas folded his arms, remarking, "I hope that response was meant to be enthusiastic as opposed to a sign of fear."

"Yes, of course," Volcanion uttered with a nervous chuckle, "I'll go and assemble our best fighters for the job. I'm sure they can handle this," as Yveltal nodded and replied, "Good to hear. I also hope that you plan to join in if things get too tough to handle, yes?"

"Absolutely," the dinosaur said with a bow of his head, "Believe you me, I was born for this sort of thing," though deep down, he really hoped the number of heroes would be smaller than predicted. He had faith in himself and the other villains living in the base, but at the same time, their numbers were not particularly high.

Luckily, it seemed Yveltal and Xerneas had not caught onto this thought as the bird said, "Good. Remember, while our son has returned, he's not quite powerful enough to help us enslave mankind."

"About that," Zygarde replied, "I was wondering if you could teach me how to fight. I'm not really sure what kind of abilities I can use," as Xerneas replied, "Don't worry about that, son. When the time comes, you'll know exactly what to do."

Suddenly, the dragon panicked when he noticed a red spider hung from the ceiling. Yveltal immediately smacked her in the side of the face and snapped, "What do you think you're doing, scaring our son like that!?"

Along with her red torso, the spider also had black stripes. Her two arms and four legs were yellow with purple stripes. She had two black round markings on her abdomen making it look like a face and a horn attached to her forehead.

"Accept my apologies," the spider said with a bow, "I simply wished to meet the key to our salvation," as Zygarde blinked and said, "Don't worry, Mom, I wasn't actually scared. Heck, I think spiders are cool," before holding out his hand.

The spider implied a smile and shook it, saying, "A true pleasure to make your acquaintance. I am Ariados."

She then turned to Yveltal and asked, "Is it true that we're about to have a bit of a war on our hands?" as the bird replied, "Well, it's not official yet, but we have no doubt in our minds that it will most likely happen. Though we'd like to save you for the more threatening heroes, the ones who are able to make it into the base."

"Say no more," Ariados replied with a bow of her head, "Just let me know when they arrive and I'll make all the preparations I need," as Xerneas nodded and said, "Excellent."

As the spider used her silk to lift herself out of the area, Yveltal let out a sigh and said, "With that out of the way, I guess it's time we show you the rest of your home," as Zygarde nodded and followed them.

After a little less than two hours passed, the Tokyo plane finally landed at the Kagoshima airport. And as soon as the heroes exited, the only other person in the area was a news reporter and her cameraman, the woman signalling him to start rolling.

"We are here live at the Kagoshima airport," she stated, "where five heroes have arrived to combat these newly revealed villains who threaten our lives. We are devastated to know that they have been living here in Sakurajima all this time. But while most citizens would much rather not step outside knowing these monsters could attack us at any time, at least there is some hope now."

"Did they know we were coming?" Venipede uttered as Rinko shrugged and replied, "Makes sense. I mean, Yveltal did reveal this location to the whole world. Though are we seriously the only ones here?" the others wondering the same thing.

The reporter then walked over to them and asked, "So, you are the heroes from Tokyo, correct?" the heroes nodding as she added, "How does it feel knowing Machop is in their clutches right now, most likely being tortured?"

Isamu stepped in front of the camera and barked, "I'll tell you how we feel! We're angry as hell! There's no way we're backing down!" as the reporter asked, "And who might you be?"

Eiko stepped in front of the camera and grinned, saying, "This is my brother, or more specifically, Machop's boyfriend," pinching his cheek as he groaned, "Just announce that to the entire world, why don't you?" the others laughing in response.

Both humans would have been afraid to do this had Isamu not sent his parents a text telling them about this after boarding the plane. After all, the last thing he wanted was to leave them wondering where their kids had gone.

Needless to say, though, the cameraman and reporter were both astounded to hear this as she said, "Why this has never been covered before I will never know, but one thing is for certain. This boy is definitely brave to enter dangerous territory to save the hero he loves."

At that moment, a few more planes arrived as Torchic blinked and uttered, "Hey, we might actually have some help after all," and this was confirmed as a few other heroes stepped out, including Gallador and Garbodor.

Marshal exited another plane alongside a few other heroes while Sneasel and Gigalith were close behind. And sure enough, Delphox emerged as well, her eyes sparkling when she spotted Rinko and Venipede, racing toward them and holding them in a tight embrace.

"I knew you two would be here!" she exclaimed with a grin as Rinko patted her on the back, replying, "Nice to have you helping us out."

Gallador approached the group as well, saying, "I had a feeling you'd all come. I still can't believe they kidnapped Machop like that."

Garbodor nodded and replied, "I'll say. After the way she beat me, it's hard to imagine that someone out there was able to pull this off. But even so, we got numbers on our side."

Sneasel and Gigalith also joined the conversation as the cat smirked and added, "Damn straight! No one captures Machop and gets away with it!" her golem ally folding his arms and nodding.

"It's also refreshing to know that we're not alone in this," Marshal stated, "Though I wonder if even this will be enough. I was once attacked by one of their minions."

The tan boy remembered shortly after he turned good and took up residence in Sapporo. There, he was attacked by a dark bluish-green ghost with round red gems on her neck and flowing lilac-tipped hair named Misdreavus. While she put up a good fight, he ultimately managed to defeat her with his Sleeper Hold Suplex.

"Wait, what?" Torchic uttered as the fighter tan boy replied, "Well, she didn't directly tell me she was working for Yveltal and Xerneas, but she said that her masters were looking for a green egg. I can only assume she was referring to that Zygarde being the news mentioned, yes?"

"Come to think of it, those two villains Machop and Jackalu defeated were trying to kidnap Kelani, right?" Torchic asked as Eiko squeaked, "Oh my god, how did we not realize that!?"

"That's a good question," Isamu groaned, "I at least should have caught onto that," as Vigoroth sighed, "Either way, this does at least confirm our suspicions of Yveltal and Xerneas having followers. For all we know, they probably have hundreds poised to attack anyone who approaches their base."

Isamu looked around and said, "If that's the case, we should probably wait before going in for the attack. Right now, there's only a little more than twenty of you guys."

It was at this moment that another two planes landed, a total of ten heroes exiting them. And among them were Jackalu, Clawitzer and Fletchinder. And needless to say, the dog and shrimp were more than happy to see their friends from Tokyo as they waved with big smiles on their faces, racing over to them.

Eiko grinned wide and squealed, "Yay! It's like the whole gang's here now!" as Isamu replied, "Not quite everyone. I don't see Gyarados."

Jackalu and Clawitzer stared at the humans as the shrimp asked, "Hold on. What are you two doing here?" both looking nervous until Torchic replied, "We figured that since these two have such a strong connection to Kelani that maybe them being here could help, you know."

"Actually, that is a good idea," Jackalu replied, Clawitzer turning to him as Vigoroth said, "That's right. I almost forgot. You actually know something about all of this, don't you?"

"You do?" everyone else asked as Fletchinder approached the group and folded her arms, asking, "Wait, is this true, Jackalu?"

The dog turned and smiled, exclaiming, "Wow! I didn't think you'd be joining us!" as the robin rolled her eyes and remarked, "Look, our fathers teamed up back in the day. It only makes sense that I'd help out too."

She then tapped her talon and sighed, "Anyway, what was it you were talking about?" the dog nodding and saying, "Well, it is true that this event was actually prophesied many years ago, but it was so long ago that many forgot about it. But yes, it was stated that a majestic draconian bird and a stag with fairy magic would give birth to a demonic creature who would bring an end to civilization as we know it. I figured that as long as he was in your care, Eiko, that horrible travesty would never happen."

Clawitzer stared as Fletchinder frowned and retorted, "If that's true, how the hell do YOU know it!?" as Jackalu chuckled nervously and replied, "I used to spend all my free time on the Internet. You'd be amazed by the stuff you come across there."

"You mean to tell me you used to be a computer geek?" Rinko asked as all went silent, the group breaking out into hysterics as the dog let down light tears, groaning, "I know! I'm so ashamed!"

"Look, as dorky as that sounds, it's a good thing someone is aware of this," Marshal stated as Sneasel took nodded and added, "He's right. Jackalu knows everything about this prophesy, meaning he probably knows how long we have to prevent all of this horrible stuff from happening, right?"

The dog blinked and tapped his chin before nodding and saying, "That's right. From what I can recall, this will happen when Zygarde, or as you call him, Kelani, reaches full power, but that won't happen until adulthood."

"That gives us plenty of time," Eiko squealed, "We can wait for more heroes to show up and help us!"

The heroes were all confused by this until Isamu added, "Something Yveltal and Xerneas told us is that Kelani only just recently entered his teen years, or at least the teen years of his species, and that took somewhere around four months. Imagine how long it'll take him to reach his adult years."

"That would sound ideal, but here's the thing," Jackalu replied, "It's kind of confusing, but if what I read is correct, Yveltal and Xerneas should possess the power to speed up his development, meaning they could very well make it so he becomes an adult today. In other words, if we don't hurry, he could be lost to us."

"Wait, is that really such a bad thing?" Venipede asked as the others stared, the centipede adding, "Think about it. Not all prophesies are automatically true. But also, well, Kelani was hatched and raised by Eiko, probably one of the sweetest people I've ever met."

The pink-haired girl blushed as she squealed, "Did you hear that, Isamu?" the boy rolling his eyes as Venipede said, "Not only that, but he's been nothing but an angel for as long as we've known him. Do you really think someone like that is just going to turn over to the side of evil just because his biological parents happen to be villains? Heck, there have been stories of the children of heroes becoming evil, so I'm sure it can work vice-verse."

Jackalu smirked and said, "All the more reason to go in there and rescue him, eh?" as Fletchinder nodded and replied, "Agreed. The longer we stand around here, the more time those monsters have to possibly torture their captives."

With all said and done, all fourteen heroes came to an agreement before signalling the others over to discuss a battle plan. For all they knew, there probably were other heroes on their way, but for the time being, they would need to rely on the twenty-one allies they currently had. But while Yveltal and Xerneas did not have a particularly high number of allies, would it be low enough for the playing field to at least be even or would it have been a better idea to wait?


	75. Chapter 75

This was it. After devising a plan of attack, the heroes would finally storm Yveltal and Xerneas' base in order to rescue Zygarde and Machop. But while the villains in the volcano had no means of seeing the news, they were already prepared for any attack no matter how big their numbers were.

During this time, Yveltal and Xerneas had just finished giving their son the grand tour of their base as he said, "Wow, it's like living in one of those evil lairs you see in films. This is so cool."

"Isn't it?" Yveltal replied with a big smile, "But don't forget, there is a possibility that an army of heroes will come here to take you away from us. Then you won't live here anymore, but you won't let that happen, right?"

"Hell no!" Zygarde retorted as he folded his arms, "If any of those goody-goodies comes in here, I'll give him a thrashing he'll never forget!" before asking, "But are you sure I'll know about every single one of my abilities just from fighting someone? That sounds way too convenient."

"Trust me on this one," Yveltal replied, "It's not exactly how we learned to fight, but you're special. You have the potential deep within. You just need a reason to unleash it. We hope that you won't need to, but you might."

"Alright, I trust you," Zygarde replied with an implied smile, "After all, you are my parents, so you obviously know best," as Xerneas smirked and replied, "Well said."

At that moment, Volcanion entered the area and said, "Good, I found you. Just wanted to let you know all of my best soldiers are ready for combat. Though I was thinking maybe we should have a few stay within the base just in case."

"We're a little ahead of you on that detail," Yveltal replied with a smile, "But that's certainly good thinking. We already have Ariados preparing for an inside invasion, but who else did you have in mind?"

"Well, despite their rather weak appearances, Sunflora and Jumpluff have proven to have a lot of potential, especially when working together," Volcanion explained, "As such, I've assigned them to guard one area together. Dunsparce I wasn't sure about, but he seemed really eager, so I gave him the first floor. Figured I may as well give him something to do. Magcargo can't bring himself to leave the volcano, so I'm trusting him with another room."

"I'll admit, those are promising choices," Yveltal said as Xerneas asked, "What about Froslass? I think she'd do really well protecting an area."

"Oh yeah, I got her in the base," the dinosaur replied, "Bronzong refused to leave his usual area, so I've decided to put my faith in him as well. And I've also chosen to let Porygon and Combee do some work as well. Both are really eager to do this."

"Well, a couple of those picks are questionable, but I think they're fine," Yveltal replied with a nod of her head, "That just leaves you, Volcanion."

"Wait, me?" the dinosaur remarked as Xerneas nodded and replied, "Well, you are the best of all of our followers. It only makes sense for you to protect our room, right?"

"Well, yeah, but I wanna be out there to lead the others," Volcanion uttered as Xerneas replied, "Don't worry. They can handle themselves," as the dinosaur nodded and let out a sigh.

With all said and done, the trio returned to their room on the top floor, smirking at the sight of Machop still locked in the capsule. Zygarde then tapped the material and blinked, asking, "I don't get it? Wouldn't she be able to break out of this when she wakes up?"

"Actually, no," Yveltal replied, "See, this isn't ordinary glass we've trapped her in. In fact, the surface is made of tektites, which are very hard. It'll be difficult to break through to say the least."

"Wow," Zygarde uttered with an implied smile, "You thought of everything!" as Xerneas nodded and remarked, "But of course. Do you doubt your parents?" the dragon shaking his head.

Meanwhile, it seemed that the heroes had a plan of attack now as they all stood a fairly long distance from the volcano. Eiko took a deep breath as Garbodor turned to her and nodded, giving her a thumb up and saying, "Don't worry. We'll keep you safe."

He then let out a sigh and whispered to Gallador, "Is it really such a good idea to bring these two along?" the white boy shrugging and replying, "Well, Machop's friends were certain they could be of help in some way or another. Besides, if we forbade them from coming, they would have tagged along in secret, meaning we wouldn't even know they were there and wouldn't be able to protect them."

Vigoroth had her hand over her eyes as she looked over the area in front of the volcano. Just as they suspected, quite a few other villains were on standby, poised for attack. To make matters worse, there had to be at least one-hundred of them.

"My god," Vigoroth uttered, "They have more followers than I thought they would. I normally don't say this, but maybe we should wait for more reinforcements."

Jackalu shook his head and replied, "While that sounds ideal, we need to get in there and put all of this to a stop as soon as possible. We'll just have to do the best we can," Clawitzer wondering if she should side with him on this issue or not.

"Well, I couldn't care less if there was a thousand of them," Fletchinder remarked with a cold look, "Their asses are grass either way!" some of the other heroes cheering in agreement.

Torchic let out a sigh and replied, "I hate to say it, but he's right. I just couldn't rest easy knowing our friends are in there. They probably have Kelani chained up right now while doing everything they can to get him to join their side. They may be his parents, but I doubt they'd be above hurting him."

Eiko trembled in response to this as Isamu patted her on the shoulder with a supportive smile. He was certain they could get him back, even if the odds were currently stacked heavily against them.

But before they could head into the battlefield, Torchic looked around and said, "It doesn't look like we'll be able to just sneak past them," as Fletchinder cracked her knuckles and smirked, remarking, "That's fine by me. I can handle at least fifty of these guys no sweat."

Jackalu laughed nervously before sighing, "Well, it's not ideal, but we've got no choice. We're gonna have to barrel in there and do the best we can to fight past them. I'm not even sure if we can succeed, but we gotta try."

Venipede tensed up at the sound of this only for Rinko to pat him on the shoulder and give him a supportive smile. There was no way she would sit back and allow him to revert to the wimp he used to be, not after he had come so far.

All of the other heroes ultimately accepted this as they let out a loud battle cry, charging toward the volcano and getting the attention of the villains stationed outside. And needless to say, they were not going to stand around either as they all readied themselves for combat.

Two of the heroes, specifically Magneton and Wartortle, noticed ten villains racing toward them as the cyborg's three heads turned to their turtle companion and said, "Alright, let's give tactic three-hundred-and-six a go. If this succeeds, we can take out all ten of these bad boys."

The turtle nodded with a smirk as she tucked herself into her shell, Magneton leaping onto her back and shouting, "SONIC SURFER!" pointing all six of their magnets back and unleashing a big shock wave. And while three of the villains managed to dodge in time to avoid this, seven of them were unable to react in time as they wound up flying into the air.

Seeing this, Magneton leapt up to their level and shouted, "SPARK BARRIER!" forming an orb of electricity around themselves that was just big enough to hit three of the villains.

Wartortle followed suit and jumped high into the air while still tucked in her shell, ramming herself into one villain before ricocheting off and hitting the remaining three, barking, "SHELL PINBALL!"

Quite a few cheered wildly as their opponents fell to the ground, some of the other heroes fighting their own adversaries as well. One ally, Psyduck, was currently locked in combat with a coal-black creature with a pearl-like head and blue-violet shells covering various parts of her, her head especially looking like a clam. Her hands were also small clam shells.

The duck was currently taking in quite a bit of pain as the clam pinched him repeatedly. However, he refused to let this get to him as he grabbed hold of her wrists, propelling himself up and latched his feet onto her neck. He then leaned forward until he was able to grab hold of her ankles and leapt high into the air, flipping one-hundred-and-eighty degrees.

"ICE ROCK DRIVER!" he exclaimed as he slammed the clam's head hard against the surface, breaking open her helmet before releasing his hold. And as she lay there unconscious, it was clear that the duck had defeated her.

Fletchinder was flying toward the entrance when she noticed a crow flying toward her. Seeing this, she held her arm out before engulfing herself in flames, shouting, "FLAME STEALTH BOMBER!" the crow seeing this coming and flying over her.

He then clenched his talons as darkness surrounded them, shouting, "TALON SUCKER PUNCH!" sending them hard into her back. However, the robin easily ignored the pain and lifted up her wing, forcing him higher into the air and lowering his guard.

She then performed a U-turn and flew at him with her body covered in flames once more, shouting, "FLAME MISSILE!" and planting her beak hard into the crow's back.

This caused him to cough up blood as he descended toward the ground, his head making contact as his eyes rolled to the back of his head. There was no doubt that the robin had defeated him as she smirked, saying, "Too easy."

Marshal was currently sprinting alongside Phanpy, the elephant noticing two ladybirds charging at them and poised for attack. One had a red collar while the other had a purple one that resembled hair.

Seeing this, Phanpy smiled and asked, "You ready for this?" the tan fighter nodding and replying, "But of course," leaping into the air and tucking his body in like a ball, Phanpy doing the same while rolling.

"ROLLOUT!" the elephant exclaimed as he rammed himself hard into the one with the red collar while Marshal retracted from his ball-like state and landed on top of the ladybird with the purple collar and exclaimed, "FALLING ROCK!" crushing her under his weight.

Both villains were out cold as the two heroes grinned at one-another and shared a high five. Needless to say, things were really looking up.

Left and right, more and more villains started to fall as six of them raced toward Sneasel and Gigalith, knowing just how dangerous they could be. However, Sneasel did not feel the least bit alarmed as he said, "Come on, let's show them our power," Gigalith nodding and giving her a thumb up.

The cat then leapt toward the golem as he took hold of her feet, her ear feather glowing. And once all six villains were close enough, Gigalith swung Sneasel across their chests like a sword as she exclaimed, "FEATHER SABRE!" all six enemies crying out in pain and passing out.

Gallador and Garbodor, meanwhile, were currently locked in combat with a purple blob who had a yellow moustache and a white wind chime with red markings. The chime was currently unleashing a powerful sound wave to distract the heroes while the blob regurgitated two balls of sludge toward them, hitting them hard in the face.

But while Gallador groaned in response, trying his best to ignore it, Garbodor easily shook it off with a smirk and tauntingly asked, "Really? You're gonna use sludge on walking trash? Are you for real?"

He then turned to Gallador and said, "Come on, buddy, let's show these two what we're really made of," the white boy nodding and replying, "Right," ignoring the pain and how much he smelled.

Garbodor then lifted him up by the arm and flung him toward the chime, Gallador folding his arms and spinning while shouting, "SWORDS DANCE PINWHEEL!" putting a big cut on her face thus knocking her unconscious.

Things only got better when Garbodor rammed his fist hard into the blob's face, lifting him up and forcing him into a ball-like state. He then slammed him hard into the ground and shouted, "RECYCLE BOMB!" knocking him out for good.

With both villains down for the count, Gallador and Garbodor bumped elbows, the white boy not even batting an eyelash at the fact that he had just touched living garbage. It was truly amazing how these two had gone from bitter rivals to friends all thanks to Machop, all the more reason to save her.

Torchic and the others had been lucky enough not to be attacked just yet as the other heroes were providing a descent distraction for them. But as they got close, Meloetta found herself overwhelmed as a trio of bag worms surrounded her. One had a bag made of green leaves and daisies, another had a pink one with violet arms attached to her head and the last one had arms made of brown pebbles and a bag made of brownish-white sand. All three had pointy noses with their tips coloured in a way that matched their theme.

The green worm flew toward the green-haired girl while his leaves spun like propeller blades. The pink one, meanwhile, advanced toward her with her arms at the ready. Finally, the brownish-white worm lunged at her with his arms aimed at her cheek.

There was no way Meloetta would allow herself to take in damage, though, as she stood on one foot and whipped out her hair, binding the green worm in place. She then twirled and rammed him into his siblings while shouting, "PIROUETTE SWING!" sending all three flying into a nearby rock, thus knocking them out cold.

Vigoroth gave her a claw up before dodging an incoming strike, Jackalu and Clawitzer having already made their way to the entrance. And with the other villains currently distracted, Torchic and the others soon reached them along with Eiko and Isamu, who had moved along the farthest edge of the area to avoid detection. In any other circumstance, this would have failed, but since every villain outside was focused on fighting the heroes, it worked swimmingly.

"Shouldn't we stay and help the others?" Venipede asked before noticing Marshal and Phanpy struggling against a powerful opponent, specifically a brown mammoth.

Currently, he and Phanpy were matching blows as the elephant used Rollout while the mammoth had covered himself in ice, forming a boulder made of the substance. Marshal was just about to help out when the elephant cried out, "Marshal, I'll take care of this guy! What's important is stopping Yveltal and Xerneas as soon as possible!"

The tan fighter hesitated but ultimately realized his ally was right. Therefor he bowed his head and replied, "Good luck, my friend," before heading toward the entrance, Phanpy ultimately overpowered as he flew into a rock, now out like a light.

Despite the results, though, all three had been close enough for Venipede to hear the conversation. And deep down, he knew Phanpy's words were correct as Marshal joined the group, feeling happy to have at least made it this far.

"Sweet, you made it," Vigoroth said with a grin as Jackalu nodded and said, "That's great. We could use all the help we can get."

And sure enough, Delphox, Gallador and Garbodor made it to the entrance as well, the fox breathing a sigh of relief and saying, "I feel like I should stay and help the others fight some more, but we can't afford to waste time out here."

Just as they were about to enter, though, Sneasel, Gigalith and Fletchinder managed to catch up as well, the robin asking, "You weren't going to storm their base without us, were you?" as Jackalu smirked and replied, "Wouldn't dream of it."

Eiko had a light smile on her face as she said, "Thank you all so much for this. I know this isn't just for my sake, but it still means a lot."

Sneasel nodded and replied, "Any time. You are our friend, after all," as Gigalith gave her a thumb up.

With all sixteen friends together, they felt that they could not lose, and considering they did outnumber the villains inside just a little bit, this might have been the case. Even so, they had wasted enough time as it was, so it was time to head inside. But before doing so, they turned to the others, hoping they would not meet the same fate as Phanpy. Hopefully they would be able to enter the base and join them.

During all of this, Volcanion had been watching with a pair of binoculars, thinking, 'Dammit, what have I been training these people for!? Losing numbers so easily to thirty-five heroes!?' before looking down and spotting the group running inside as his mind added, 'And to make matters worse, now my soldiers on the inside are outnumbered.'

Even so, he took a deep breath and tried his best to calm down. After all, he truly felt that those stationed within the base could at least handle the majority of the heroes who had entered. This would give him and his leaders less to deal with.

Upon entering the first room, the group was ready as Rinko said, "Everyone, be on your guard. There might be others inside."

"You're a lot smarter than I figured you'd be," came a menacing voice as the heroes all looked around, "I have to admit, I didn't think you'd catch onto the fact that there's more of us. But whether this knowledge will help you or not is a whole other thing."

"Spare the chit-chat," Fletchinder growled, "How about you show yourself, coward!?" as the voice remarked, "Don't mind if I do!"

With that, a door opened up as a yellow land snake with a blue underbelly entered. His back was white with blue stripes and his head was perfectly round with his wide mouth extending under his jowls and curved up toward the middle of his face. His chin matched his belly's colour and had two spiky prongs. His eyes seemed permanently closed as all anyone could see were his white eyelids. He also had two small wings on his back and a nice set of arms and legs, his tail shaped like a drill.

The group stared silently for a few seconds as even Garbodor thought he looked weird. But even so, they remembered that this snake was in their way as Marshal stepped forward and smirked, saying, "So you're the first one standing in our way, huh? I was expecting more than just one."

"Well, there are plenty of others, but we each have our own areas to guard," the land snake replied, "But mark my words. You won't get past me, the mighty Dunsparce. Now, which of you has the balls to fight me?"

Torchic frowned and said, "You know there's fourteen of us," only for Marshal to smirk and say, "You guys go on ahead. I'll handle this poser," before striking a fighting stance.

Dunsparce smirked and said, "How noble of you. But yes, if I were you, I would do as this boy says. I'm not sure if you're aware of this, but Zygarde has switched over to our side and currently, Yveltal and Xerneas are working hard to help him reach adulthood ahead of schedule."

All went silent as Jackalu groaned, "Oh god, why did I have to be right?" Eiko squeaking, "Alright, we can't risk being here any longer!"

With that in mind, the group nodded and headed through the door, Dunsparce tauntingly shouting, "Hurry along, now! This base takes at least an hour just to run all the way through!" as Marshal frowned and remarked, "You seem awful confident just letting my friends go like that."

"Oh, please," the land snake retorted with a snicker, "You already know that I'm not the only one stationed here, and we're all major threats. Though I especially can be quite intimidating."

While Dunsparce did not look particularly threatening, Marshal knew that there had to be a reason why he was chosen to guard the base's interior by himself. As such, the tan fighter held up his hands defensively, prepared for the worst.


	76. Chapter 76

While the others were headed toward Yveltal and Xerneas' room, Marshal was more than ready for his fight with Dunsparce. The tan boy cracked his knuckles with a grin and said, "Well, I'm ready when you are."

The land snake nodded and replied, "That's good to hear. And as I am one of honour, you may have the first strike," spreading his arms out as Marshal narrowed his eyelids, thinking, 'He's clearly leading me into a trap. Well, unfortunately for him, I can still use this to my advantage.'

With that in mind, he bowed his head and said, "Thank you very much," before racing toward Dunsparce. And just as it looked like the land snake was going to fight back, the tan boy leapt to the right before sending a roundhouse into his cheek.

Dunsparce's mouth opened wide as the tan fighter proceeded to strike the same spot with his elbow. He then dashed behind him and latched onto his head and neck, a smirk on his face as he said, "You made a big mistake letting me attack first. I've seen more than enough martial arts films to know when an opponent is tricking me. This allows me to be one step ahead."

Dunsparce groaned and struggled to free himself only for Marshal to leap high into the air and lean backwards, shouting, "SLEEPER HOLD SUPLEX!" ramming the back of his head into the floor.

But just as Marshal was about to release his hold, it seemed as if he had not dealt as much damage to Dunsparce as he figured. This was made clear when the snake ignored all of the pain dealt to him and shifted his tail so it was facing the tan fighter's midsection. The tip then started to spin as he drove it hard into that very spot.

Marshal's eyes widened as he cried out in pain, Dunsparce shouting, "TAIL DENTISTRY!" the tan boy releasing his hold and allowing his body to collapse, thus separating him from the tail long enough to roll to the side and avoid further damage.

He now had a hole in both his karate gi and his flesh as he breathed heavily, Dunsparce smirking and asking, "What? Did you think the drill shape was just decoration?" as Marshal grunted, "Considering how well it blends in with your flesh, yes."

"Well, that was your first fatal mistake," Dunsparce remarked with a smirk, "You're quite clever to have seen through my lure-out strategy, but you won't get another chance like that."

As such, the snake flapped his wings and leapt toward Marshal. While his wings seemed too small to allow him to fly, they did, at the very least, allow him to speed up his attack as he planted his feet hard into the same spot he had pierced, Marshal's eyes widening.

"Oh, come on!" he grunted, "Attacking the open wound!?" before placing his hands together and lifting them up over his head, barking, "BRICK BREAK!"

But just as he sent them toward Dunsparce's forehead, the snake threw his arms upward and blocked the incoming strike with the heels of his hands. He then used this opportunity to ram his skull into Marshal's face before leaping into the air, wrapping his legs around the tan boy's shoulders.

"The hell are you doing now?" Marshal grunted as Dunsparce sighed, "Unfortunately for you, I intend to end this fight as quickly as possible. As such, it only stands to reason that I end your life right here and now."

The tan boy's eyes widened as he was just about to lift up his arms. But before he could do so, Dunsparce leaned forward and reached his arms out, taking hold of the tan boy's wrists and saying, "Ah-ah-ah! I can't let you escape from this hold!"

The tip of his tail proceeded to spin again as he exclaimed, "TAIL DENTISTRY!" planting it hard into Marshal's chest. His eyes widened as he coughed up blood, his eyes rolling to the back of his head as Dunsparce removed the drill, allowing him to collapse.

He then took a deep breath and smirked, stating, "For so long, many have looked at me with disdain. Back when I was a hero, my victory on Hero Planet was seen as a fluke. My allies never let me fight because they figured I wouldn't be able to handle a villain. No girl ever wanted me because of my odd outward appearance. And even after joining the side of evil, I had to plead Volcanion to let me guard a room! Well, no more! Today, I have truly proven myself worthy!"

He then pulled out a communication device seemingly out of nowhere as he said, "Hey, Volcanion. I got some incredible news for you."

The dinosaur listened in on him while standing in front of the staircase leading up to Yveltal and Xerneas' quarters. His eyes widened as he said, "Well, that's very good to hear. Well, if you could cut them off on the second floor, that would be great."

He then listened in some more and grinned, replying, "Well, I am mighty proud of you, Dunsparce. Keep up the great work," before hanging up and breathing a sigh of relief, thinking, 'Well, if a loser like him can kill one of those heroes, I should have nothing to worry about.'

During this time, the others were currently running down a long hallway as Torchic sighed, "My god, he wasn't kidding, this first floor alone is pretty big."

"It must be a nightmare for them to live here," Venipede uttered as Rinko shrugged and remarked, "Hardly matters to us. We can still do this."

"Still, I hope Marshal's okay," Meloetta uttered, "I mean, there has to be a reason these villains are guarding the inside as opposed to fighting outside like the others."

"Hey, we've seen how strong Marshal can be," Isamu replied with a grin, "I wouldn't worry too much about him. If anything, I'm more concerned for his opponent," as Torchic nodded and added, "Take it from me. Machop and I barely managed to beat him when he fought alongside Kingdra."

"Damn, really?" Jackalu asked as Fletchinder sighed, "Going by all the close calls Machop had during the tournament, that doesn't surprise me as much as it probably should."

The dog stared wide-eyed as Clawitzer said, "She has a point. I mean, how many close calls did Machop have?" as Garbodor laughed nervously and uttered, "To be fair, she probably would have beaten me a lot more easily if she hadn't been afraid of garbage throughout most of our fight."

"Even so, the amount of punishment she was able to take in while still continuing to fight is astonishing," Delphox replied, "I caught her match with Slurpuff on TV, and I was impressed. I just can't believe she actually lost to Yveltal so easily."

Eiko started to tense up as Torchic sighed, "Don't worry. Now that we've seen how she fights, we should be fine. Right, guys?" Vigoroth holding a claw up and replying, "Yeah. You can count on us."

Eiko gave them all a sweet smile and replied, "Thank you so much. I'm so lucky to have friends like you," as Isamu nodded.

However, as the group advanced to the next room, Vigoroth, who had currently been in front, found herself caught in a net of spider silk. Everyone stared in stunned silence as Ariados lowered herself from the ceiling, saying, "Well, well, well, looks like I've already caught myself some lunch."

The others stared as Venipede laughed nervously, saying, "That analogy probably would have worked better if I'd been caught in that," the spider folding all four of her arms and grunting, "Dammit! You had to spoil my fun, didn't you!?"

"Oh, we're about to spoil it even more," Delphox retorted as she conjured up a fireball and sent it into the net, burning it up. And since the fox was a master of pyrokinesis, she managed to free the sloth without burning her even a little bit.

Ariados rose an eyebrow as Vigoroth righted herself up, a smirk on her face as she said, "Thanks, Delphox," as the fox nodded and replied, "No problem."

She then lit up her hands and added, "You guys go on ahead. I'll take care of this one," as Ariados implied a smile with her eyes and remarked, "That's fine by me. Of all the heroes in this room, you fascinate me the most."

Jackalu was about to retort to this when Clawitzer sighed, "Just take this. We have to get to Yveltal and Xerneas' chambers as soon as possible," the dog nodding before heading toward the room's exit.

But just as Delphox was about to begin the fight, Ariados said, "Hold on. I think we should have this match in an the appropriate playing field," before walking toward the middle of the area and leaping into the air. Afterwards, she formed what looked like a ring made entirely out of silk, Delphox blinking in confusion.

"Do you honestly think I'm stupid enough to fight on something like that?" she asked as Ariados shook her head and replied, "Don't worry about that. See, I can make my silk a sticky as I want to, and, well, if I were to fight you on a sticky surface, my victory wouldn't exactly feel earned, would it?"

Delphox gazed upon the ring suspiciously and walked over to it, lightly poking the side with her finger. And much to her shock, Ariados had told her the truth as it felt less like a spider web and more like a soft wrestling ring. Needless to say, the fox was at least fine with this arrangement.

With that in mind, she leapt into the air and landed firmly against the canvas, Ariados looking fully confident, and the fox could not help but wonder why. After all, the spider had seen her burn her silk without any problems, so why was she not the least bit intimidated by this? Was it arrogance?

Whatever the case, Delphox was certain she could win as Ariados asked, "So, do you feel ready? I'd hate to start this match too soon," as the fox smirked and remarked, "That's awfully kind of you, but don't worry. I'm more than ready for this."

"Perfect," Ariados replied as she wasted no time firing silk from her mouth toward Delphox. Seeing this, the fox smirked and sent a stream of fire toward it.

However, the spider seemed to see this coming as she twirled the silk around, forming a shield with it that took in the flames. But just as expected, it easily burned up in a matter of seconds. But just as Delphox was about to question this, she noticed Ariados use a string of silk from her abdomen to swing from the ceiling toward her.

"JUNGLE JAB!" she exclaimed as she rammed her horn into Delphox's forehead, a small bit of blood flying out as the fox's eyes and mouth widened. And before she could even process what just happened, Ariados wasted no time shooting more silk from her mouth, wrapping it around the fox and trapping her in place.

Delphox was terrified now as Ariados pulled a small strand toward her, saying, "Believe it or not, I'm actually quite knowledgeable with how your family fights. Your mother, Braixen, and your grandmother, Fennekin, both controlled the powers of fire just like you. But I know the major weakness to your magic, how you need the ability to move your arms, legs or fingers to pull off so much as one spell."

The fox gritted her teeth as she knew this to be true. Even so, it seemed as if she could not do a thing about it as the spider used the loose strand to lift her up, swinging her head-first into a turnbuckle before reeling her back. And things only got worse when the spider rammed her chin into another pole, swinging her sideways and sending her cheek into a third.

What was even more shocking than the tactic itself was how much this hurt. The turnbuckles were all made out of spider silk, a very soft material, and yet somehow, this felt no different from a normal turnbuckle.

Whatever the reason, this was certainly bad news as Delphox had already taken in a great deal of pain while Ariados had not taken in so much as one hit. Hopefully, the fox would find a way out of this otherwise she would surely suffer the same fate as Marshal.

While this went on, Machop was still unconscious as Zygarde blinked and asked, "Hey, is there a chance she'll wake up?" as Yveltal nodded and replied, "Yes, but the worst that can happen is that she'll try to break out. If anything, it'll give us a nice bit of entertainment, but there's something else we need to focus on."

"What's that?" the dragon enquired as Xerneas smirked and explained, "Well, we're gonna have you become an adult six months in advance."

"Wait, you're serious?" Zygarde uttered as the stag nodded, Yveltal stating, "He's right. After all, it was our power that allowed you to become a teenager. And we will use that same power to speed up your ageing process. Unless, of course, you'd rather wait."

"Oh, no way!" Zygarde retorted with excitement in his eyes, "I wanna be an adult as soon as possible! I'll have the same destructive powers at you, then we can finally take over this miserable planet!"

"That's my boy!" Xerneas exclaimed with a grin before giving the dragon a hug, Yveltal nodding and adding, "You make us proud, son."

At around this time, Torchic and the others had finally made it to the staircase leading up to the second floor. They then took a deep breath as Vigoroth groaned, "My god, how long did it take to get here? And just think, we only ran into two servants on the first floor."

Meloetta nodded and squeaked, "Well, we knew this wasn't going to be easy. We'll just have to keep going," all the while still concerned for Marshal and Delphox. She knew this was all part of the job and they were used to this sort of thing, but she could not help but fear for their safety.

Even so, the group had to carry on as they sprinted up the stairs, Eiko sighing, "I hope there aren't too many floors. My feet are already getting tired," Isamu groaning, "Me too, but we gotta tough it out."

However, as soon as the group reached the top of the stairs, their eyes widened when they noticed a certain yellow snake standing right there with his arms folded. He also tapped his foot while grumbling, "Geez, what took you so long? Seriously, I've been bored as hell waiting around here."

The group stared silently as Torchic pointed at him before turning toward the stairs and then back at him. And before anyone could ask the obvious question, Dunsparce was one step ahead as he smirked and said, "How did I get up here before you, you ask? Well, you see, there are elevators hidden all around this base, special elevators that go in every direction. You know, kinda like the elevator in that one book about the candy factory. The name escapes me, but it's definitely like that."

Upon hearing this, Eiko wasted no time running toward a wall and feeling for a possible hidden door only for Dunsparce to sigh, "Don't bother looking for them. They're only activated by the palm prints of anyone registered into the system, and in order to be registered, you have to swear your allegiance to Yveltal and Xerneas."

The pink-haired girl blinked as Isamu sighed, "He means none of us can use the elevators even if we could find them," Eiko pouting in response. She had really hoped to use this to get to the top floor more quickly.

"But wait, there's something more important going on here," Sneasel growled, "If he's here right now, then that means-"

"Exactly," Dunsparce replied with a smirk, "That Marshal looked tough and put up this great, brave front, but man, he was pathetic. He barely put up a fight."

"I have so much trouble believing that," Torchic grunted, "Seriously, do you know how long it took Machop and I to knock him out!" as Dunsparce blinked and uttered, "Well, I can believe it might have taken a while to pull that off. Oh, so that's why I was able to beat him so quickly. I took the more logical approach," before smacking himself on the forehead.

All went silent as the others stared wide-eyed. It took a while for some of them to figure out what he meant, but it soon became clear. This was not like every other failure where the hero was knocked unconscious. Marshal had been killed.

"No," Meloetta uttered, breathing heavily as Dunsparce grinned and added, "By the way, I see one member of your group is missing. Guess Ariados is probably consuming her flesh as we speak. You did a good job getting past our outside forces, but we on the inside are much more powerful and much more deadly. And hey, if any of you would like to be my next victim, I'm open to any takers."

He then spun his tail drill threateningly as Vigoroth gritted her teeth and grunted, "Alright, no one kills our friend and gets away with it! Lemme at him!" planting her fist against her palm.

But just as it seemed like she would be the next one to fight the snake, Meloetta rested a hand on her shoulder and squeaked, "No!" the sloth's eyes widening as the green-haired girl added, "I know I usually try to avoid this if I can help it, but I want to help make sure no one else in our team has to die."

The others were truly aghast as tears rolled down her cheeks. Deep down, she would have rather let the others do this, but this was the first time an enemy had ever killed one of her friends. As such, she felt that she had to teach him a lesson.

Vigoroth was about to protest, but when she saw just how serious the green-haired girl was, she nodded and said, "Alright. Make him suffer," Meloetta nodding as Eiko, Isamu and the eleven remaining heroes raced onward.

"Do your best!" Venipede exclaimed as Rinko added, "Show him just how amazing you really are!"

Dunsparce folded his arms and watched them leave before turning to Meloetta, saying, "It's funny, I've heard that you're strongly against fighting. It's well known that you are the only hero of Tokyo not to even consider joining the Hero Olympics. Forgive my shock, but I can't believe you of all heroes would volunteer to fight a mighty killer just like that."

"It's fighting for sport that I'm not interested in," the green-haired girl retorted with a cold look, "But if it's for the sake of justice, I'll fight to the bitter end, just like Marshal did!"

"I remember when I used to think like that," Dunsparce sighed before shrugging his shoulders, "So young, so foolish, but hey, I could use another workout. Marshal just wasn't satisfying enough," Meloetta's anger rising by the second.

As such, she did not even wait for the snake to signal the start of the fight as she whipped her hair toward him. His eyes widened as she bound him in place, standing on one foot and twirling. She then sent him hurdling into the wall, shouting, "PIROUETTE SWING!"

However, much like when he took in Marshal's Sleeper Hold Suplex, Dunsparce easily ignored the pain to his face as he forced himself away from the wall. He then tucked in his legs and started up his drill, shouting, "DENTIST'S MISSILE!"

Luckily, Meloetta seemed to see this coming as she leapt to the side, sending a roundhouse into the snake's waist. He winced in response to this as he took in another kick to the same spot, falling on his side as he rolled away from the green-haired girl. Needless to say, she was already proving herself to be a bigger challenge than he first figured she would be.

While all of this took place, Delphox had taken in yet another blow to the head as she found herself unable to break free from Ariados' silk. However, she knew she could not allow herself to lose this easily as she took a deep breath, saying, "It seems there is one move from my family that you are not familiar with."

"What?" Ariados uttered as the fox's cheeks inflated. She then aimed her mouth straight at the spider and grunted through clenched teeth, "MYSTICAL FOX FLAMETHROWER!" opening her mouth as a burst of flames shot from within.

Ariados' eyes widened as she took in the blast hard, letting out a loud cry of pain as some of it hit the strand of silk she had been holding the whole time. The fire then spread all the way up to the material trapping Delphox, burning it all thus causing it to melt.

Now that she was free, the fox intended to take full advantage of this as she lit her leg on fire, spinning sideways toward Ariados and shouting, "FALLING WHEEL!" planting her foot hard into her skull.

Unlike when Delphox had used this on Slurpuff, this had a huge effect on the spider as she was now covered in burn marks. Her eyes and feelers were wide with shock as Delphox lit her hand on fire, sending a karate chop into her cheek.

The spider backed up as Delphox coughed up a bit of smoke, sighing while thinking, 'That's why I can't use it often,' before growling, "I'll admit, you almost had me there. I'm impressed that you actually took the time to research my family's magic, but even so, you should have looked further into it. This one oversight has cost you this match."

Was Delphox correct? Had overcoming this one weakness rendered her opponent helpless or was this only the beginning?


	77. Chapter 77

After a rough start, it seemed Delphox had finally gotten the upper hand against Ariados. But she would need to be careful if she wanted this to last. She may have possessed a means of getting around the sticky silk, but who was to say the spider did not have more up her sleeve?

If she did have something else she could use, she would need to unleash it soon as Delphox conjured up a ring of flames, saying, "Let's see your spider silk block this."

She then thrust her hand forward, shouting, "MYSTICAL FIRE!" sending the flames spiralling toward Ariados. However, the spider refused to let herself get burned again as she coughed up enough silk for an entire small web to come out. While this did not last long, it provided enough of a distraction for her to leap to the side.

Seeing this, Delphox ended her assault, but just as she was about to attempt something else, Ariados leapt at her and latched her arms and legs around her. She then smirked and said, "FYI, silk isn't my only form of attack."

She then opened up her feelers and exclaimed, "VENOM PIERCE!" and leaned her head forward before biting Delphox's neck. Said feelers briefly turned purple as the fox's eyes and mouth widened with shock. And sure enough, she started to feel weak as her eyelids lowered, Ariados releasing her hold with an implied smirk.

With her opponent now distracted, she proceeded to unleash an onslaught of punches into her gut, laughing insanely before saying, "Don't worry too much. The poison itself won't kill you. It fades eventually. No, I have a much more creative method in mind."

Due to the venom weakening her even more, Delphox was unable to retaliate as all she could do was stand there and take the rapid punches. After succumbing to twenty, she started coughing up blood as Ariados laughed even louder. Needless to say, the fox would not only need to come up with a countermeasure, but she would need the strength to pull it off.

All the while, Meloetta was currently advancing toward Dunsparce, ready to strike him a forth time without giving him a chance to attempt another attack. However, now that the snake knew just how much of a threat she was, there was no way he would allow her to strike him again.

As such, he waited for her to whip her hair toward him as he thought, 'Perfect,' leaping up into the air and saying, "I'll admit, you've been pretty lucky so far, but that's about to run out."

Meloetta's eyes widened as he started up his tail drill, descending toward her and shouting, "DENTIST'S MISSILE!"

Out of desperation, the green-haired girl held up her hands, very quickly realizing this was a horrible decision. Unfortunately, she was too late as the tail made contact, putting a big hole in her right wrist as she cried out in pain, backing up. And before she could retaliate, Dunsparce smirked and latched his ankles onto her neck. He then flipped her over and pulled her down, ramming her back into the floor and saying, "You're not the only one with fancy skills."

Before Meloetta could respond, the snake spun his tail once more. Seeing as her head was close enough, he knew that he could easily get a good hit as he exclaimed, "TAIL DENTISTRY!"

But just as it looked like he would surely pierce Meloetta's skull, she remembered something she had learned from watching Machop enough times. With that in mind, she spun her body around, weakening Dunsparce's hold on her and freeing herself. She then sprang to her feet and breathed heavily, terror in her eyes as the snake frowned, rising up as well.

"I knew this wouldn't be easy, but it seems I'll need to knock you out before going in for the kill," he stated, "Fair enough. I could use the workout."

Meloetta, meanwhile, felt beyond fortunate that her escape method had worked. Even after seeing Machop use it countless times over the past, she was still uncertain whether or not such a tactic could really help her.

She would certainly need to think about this later, though, as Dunsparce stated, "Just so you know, this drill of mine isn't the only method of attack that I have. Believe you me, I've got plenty of ways to make you vulnerable."

With that, he started to spin his tail again, but rather than aiming it at Meloetta again, he tilted it downwards and pressed the tip up against the floor. He then spread out his arms and legs, saying, "This is a little something I learned from my opponent on Hero Planet, Hitmontop. In fact, it's the very move that defeated her."

He then spun like a top and shouted, "TAIL TWISTER BARRAGE!" racing toward Meloetta as the green-haired girl instinctively threw her hair out, wrapping it around him. However, all this did was made her more vulnerable as Dunsparce was spinning too quickly, thus she found herself lifted up and flung into the wall.

Things only got worse as Dunsparce took full advantage of this, ramming into her and buffeting her with an onslaught of punches and kicks. And after delivering thirty strikes, the snake stopped spinning as he said, "I can't afford to use that for too long otherwise it makes me dizzy. Contrary to my design, these eyes aren't really closed," before turning toward what seemed like nothing and grinning.

With that in mind, he proceeded to take hold of Meloetta's shoulders before reeling his head back. He then sent it forward, ramming his skull hard into the green-haired girl's forehead as she groaned from the pain.

It seemed Dunsparce had even more in store as he once again rested his tail against the floor, wrapping his arms and legs around Meloetta. He then started spinning his tail thus causing himself to rotate, lifting his opponent high enough for her head to be above his. And with that, he used his feet to propel himself high into the air before flipping one-hundred-and-eighty degrees, his body still spinning.

"DENTIST'S SUPLEX!" the snake exclaimed as he rammed Meloetta's skull hard against the floor, her eyes and mouth wide open as she coughed up blood. And to make matters worse, the two were still spinning as a result of the momentum his tail had built up. As such, the green-haired girl's head scraped against the material thus adding to the pain.

After a few seconds, the spinning came to a halt as Dunsparce released his hold and leapt away from Meloetta. He had the biggest smile on his face as he laughed triumphantly, shouting, "OH MAN, THAT FELT AMAZING! I wanted to end this as quickly as possible, but finally getting to use some of these techniques is kind of fun! I wasn't even sure if that last one would really work, but now I know!"

Meloetta's body twitched as she thought, 'No! I can't lose!' slowly pushing herself back to her feet and breathing heavily, 'If I lose, he'll just seek out the others and try to kill them too! I can't lose another friend, not if I can help it!'

But despite the fact that she was standing, it was clear that the damage Dunsparce had dealt was far worse than what she had done earlier, and the snake knew this as well. Needless to say, Meloetta would need to be more careful from this point on. After all, if she failed, she would lose a lot more than just the match.

Meanwhile, Torchic and the others were still running down the halls as Vigoroth had a look of concern, Venipede asking, "You worried about Meloetta?"

"Kind of," the sloth sighed, "I know she can handle herself fine, but even so, this is the first opponent she's had who actually intends on killing her. And lord knows how she rarely ever fights."

"I wouldn't worry too much," Rinko replied, "I know Meloetta's like a little sister to you, but you've seen her in action plenty of times. Heck, she's the reason you two managed to defeat Cranidos and Shieldon, no offence."

"Hey, I'm not gonna argue with that," Vigoroth replied with a smirk, "I would have died if she hadn't stepped in when she did. I wouldn't mind fighting alongside her again. We make an awesome team."

At that moment, the group entered another room, though this was not quite like the others. While the other rooms were not that much different from the hallways, save for the amount of space, this one was full of plant life. The floor was made of grass and there was a long patch of flowers on each side.

Eiko looked around and said, "Well, this is pleasant," when suddenly, a blue spherical cotton weed with beady red eyes and small feet perked up from one of the flower patches and said, "Why, thank you. I worked very hard on this."

This was certainly a strange being to behold. Her hands were big cotton balls that almost matched her body's size, another one sticking up out of her head.

Torchic frowned, the others getting ready for combat when the weed giggled and said, "Don't worry, I'm not gonna fight you," the heroes staring in confusion as she added, "The thing is, I'm not really a fighter in this facility. See, something people don't know is that Yveltal and Xerneas really like flowers, so I manage the garden with my partner."

"Your partner?" Eiko uttered when Isamu turned and noticed a humanoid sunflower stand up from the other patch, saying, "Hi! I'm Sunflora!"

"And I am Jumpluff," the cotton weed added with a light bow, "Pleased to meet you all. You must be exhausted. Would you like some herbal tea?"

All went silent until Clawitzer sighed, "Do think we're stupid or something?" as Jackalu blinked and uttered, "What do you mean? Is there no tea?"

"What she means is that they're obviously trying to trick us," Isamu retorted, "It's the oldest trick in the book. Offer tea to the enemy and put poison in it, right?" Jumpluff blinking and replying, "Actually, that sounds much more practical than what we had in mind."

"So, you were still trying to trick us anyway!" Gallador retorted as Sunflora shrugged and replied, "Yeah, you got us. But it hardly matters anyway. You're all standing in the right spots."

"Wait, what?" Torchic uttered when suddenly, the ground started to vibrate as Sneasel snapped, "EVERYBODY, JUMP TO THE SIDE!"

And just as predicted, large vines sprouted up from under the gravel beneath the grass. But while most of the group managed to avoid being caught, Rinko and Venipede found themselves bound in place as the brunette growled, "DAMMIT! YOU GOTTA BE KIDDING ME!"

"Don't worry!" Torchic exclaimed, "I got this!" before lighting her talon on fire and sending it into the plant holding Rinko. However, it seemed to have no effect as Jumpluff giggled, "Don't bother. Our special vines are invincible, meaning not even pruning sheers can cut through them."

As if that was not enough, the other vines that rose up formed a ring as Sunflora said, "We will gladly free your friends, but only if two of you can best us in combat," Venipede struggling as Rinko grunted, "Dammit! Guys, don't worry about us! Just go on ahead!"

"No way," Gallador retorted as he folded his arms, "I volunteer to be the first fighter. There's no way I'm gonna allow another one of my cousin's friends to die."

"Well, if you're gonna take them, then count me in," Garbodor replied with a grin as the others stared, Fletchinder folding her arms and sighing, "Dammit. I wanted to fight them."

"I would have loved to help out, too, but yeah, it's probably best we don't stand around talking about this," Sneasel replied as Gigalith gave the white boy and his trash heap ally a thumb up.

Torchic nodded and asked, "Are you sure you're okay with us going ahead?" as Rinko retorted, "We're talking about the fate of the world here! I think that's more important!"

"She's right," Venipede added, "Besides, I trust these two to save us. You guys go on ahead. The more of us who are able to fight Yveltal and Xerneas, the better."

"Alright," the chicken said with a grin, "Just hang in there. I trust Gallador and Garbodor as well," Vigoroth nodding as the remaining nine took off from the area, Eiko squeaking, "Be careful!"

With all said and done, Jumpluff and Sunflora leapt into the ring as Gallador and Garbodor followed suit. Though they knew they would have to be careful. While their opponents may have looked weak, there had to be a reason they were guarding the base's interior.

During this time, Ariados was currently hanging from a thin string of silk as she swung toward Delphox with her arms crossed. Once close enough, she made them glow purple before exclaiming, "CROSS POISON!" throwing them out in an X formation and striking the fox hard in the chest.

Delphox coughed up blood as she backed up, resting against the ropes and breathing heavily. With the spider's venom inside of her, she could barely focus right now as she took a four-armed punch to the face.

"I have to admit, I was really expecting more of a challenge," Ariados said tauntingly with her arms against her hips, "Come on, aren't you gonna try and hit me?"

She then moved her cheek closer as the fox gritted her teeth, lifting up her hand and lighting it on fire. But as she attempted a palm punch, she wound up moving too slowly as Ariados shifted her head back in time to dodge it, lifting up her arms, taking hold of the incoming wrist with her upper arms and wrapping the lower ones around Delphox's midsection.

"You don't look so good," Ariados cooed, "Here, I'll help set you up for a nice, long nap," before leaping high into the air and leaning backward, shouting, "WRIST LOCK SUPLEX!" planting the fox's skull into the canvas.

Unlike the turnbuckle, though, the web mat was actually quite soft. As such, this did not deal quite as much damage as it could have, but it still wound up dealing damage. But it went even further as the silk sunk inward, Ariados releasing her hold on Delphox thus allowing her to fly high into the air as if she had just made contact with a trampoline.

Ariados knelt down and unleashed silk from her abdomen, wrapping it around Delphox's leg. She then implied a smirk and swung her back into the nearest turnbuckle, shouting, "SPIDER SILK BACKBREAKER!" the fox coughing up blood once more.

However, seeing as her eyes were still open, Ariados implied a frown and said, "You've got a strong spirit, but that won't help you," before swinging her sideways into another turnbuckle, adding, "Well, look at that. Despite all your best efforts, you're in the exact same spot you were before."

After Delphox took in two more hits, she gritted her teeth and thought, 'No! I can't let her win! She says this poison won't kill me, but it might as well! I can barely move right now!'

She then looked down, taking a fifth strike as her mind added, 'Unlike before, I can actually move the rest of my body. I need to take advantage of that.'

With that in mind, she focused as hard as she could as a small flame shot from her free foot. Unfortunately, it did not go beyond that as it seemed just attempting such a thing weakened her too much. As such, her eyes closed as she lost all consciousness, taking one last strike to her cheek as Ariados noticed this. Thus she released her hold on the silk and allowed the fox's body to collapse.

"Well, that took a lot more work than previously planned, but at least it's finally over," Ariados said with an implied smile as she went down on all sixes and crawled over to Delphox. She then opened up her feelers and said, "By the way, I wasn't joking when I said that sloth could have potentially been my next meal. Unlike regular spiders, I eat anything that falls into my trap, and that includes foxes."

But just as it looked like she was going to use her feelers to cut Delphox's neck, her eyes widened when the fox's wrists caught flame. She then sent them hard into the spider's gut as she coughed up green blood, flying into the air. As if that was not enough, Delphox proceeded to rise to her feet, saying in a calm tone, "Fox Fire Rocket."

With that, flames shot from her feet as she flew toward the airborne spider with her arms crossed. With Ariados too distracted, she was unable to retaliate as she took the blow hard to her chest, coughing up even more blood as Delphox spread her arms out, latching onto the spider's wrists. And with that, she leaned backwards and flew toward the turnbuckle, saying, "Fox Fire Cross Drop," the back of Ariados' neck making contact.

As the fox released her hold and distanced herself, Ariados righted herself up and breathed heavily, a look of terror in her eyes. All the while, she stared at Delphox and thought, 'No. This makes no sense. The poison shouldn't have worn off yet.'

It was then that she noticed something even more confusing. Delphox's eyes were still closed, meaning she should not have been conscious right now.

However, it seemed even Delphox did not understand this as she thought, 'What's going on? I'm fast asleep right now and yet not only can I see in front of me, but Ariados' poison isn't doing a thing.'

It was then that she remembered something Braixen had taught her two years ago. It was during a training exercise in which the older fox demonstrated meditation, showing that there was more to it than just sitting cross-legged with your eyes closed.

"You have to clear your mind and forget about whatever is ailing you," she explained as Delphox asked, "That's all well and good, but how would that help me in a fight?"

"Oh, believe you me," Braixen replied with a light smile, "In the darkest of times, a clear mind will save your life. When you are unable to focus on pain and anguish, you will be able to unleash your greatest potential."

Delphox's mouth hung open as she nodded and stopped thinking. By clearing her head, she could no longer focus on the poison effecting her or any of the pain she had succumbed up to this point. It seemed that she would have no problem winning this match.

Ariados narrowed her eyelids as she refused to accept this. As such, she grunted, "Let's see you strike me again when you can't use any fire magic whatsoever!"

With that in mind, she proceeded to unleash her silk before the fox could do anything else. And much like she had done at the start of the match, she used it to bind her entire torso in place. But to make sure she could not use her flamethrower technique again, the spider spat a muzzle made of silk onto her mouth, saying, "There. Even if you can fight back now, it won't make a difference."

She then proceeded to swing the fox's cheek into the turnbuckle. It seemed that even in her calm state, Delphox could not do a thing now that even her mouth was useless.

"I have to admit, you've surprised me a lot during this match," Ariados said with an implied smirk, "Unfortunately for you, I adapt to the abilities of every enemy I face. You've demonstrated more than enough of yours for me to win this fight."

As such, she proceeded to send Delphox into the turnbuckles four more times. Thus she could no longer remain asleep as she slowly opened her eyes, her head throbbing as she breathed heavily through her nose.

'Nein,' she thought, 'I can't let it end like this. There has to be something else, something I haven't tried before. Maybe there's a technique that's never been discovered.'

She could not help but feel mad at herself now as she took in another hit to her cheek, smoke coming out of her ears. However, she had just enough strength to notice this, her eyes widening as she thought, 'Oh my god! I can shoot fire from my ears? I didn't know that.'

With that in mind, she focused the hardest she could as suddenly, thin fiery arms emerged from those very parts as Ariados' eyes widened. And before she could react, the flames were lowered as they pressed up against the silk covering the fox's torso. With that, the fire travelled all the way around it, heading down the strand. And since the spider was too spellbound to respond, she failed to notice this as the fire reached the tips of her arms, burning them as she cried out in pain, releasing her hold on the material.

After having freed herself, Delphox proceeded to light her finger on fire, burning off the silk covering her mouth. She then took many deep breaths, now able to ignore the poison as she marched over to Ariados, her ear flames cracking their knuckles.

"No," the spider uttered, shaking her head as she spat out more silk only for the fiery hands to grab onto them, burning them to a crisp.

"I'll admit, you truly proved yourself to be an incredible opponent," Delphox grunted, "But as you can see, I'm really strong as well."

She then had the fiery hands take hold of Ariados' arms as she cried out in agonizing pain. The fox then lifted her up before flipping her upside-down, sending her skull into the top of the turnbuckle and barking, "FOX FIRE PILEDRIVER!"

Ariados coughed up blood as her eyes rolled to the back of her skull. Thus Delphox retracted her flames as the spider lay there, not moving an inch.

The fox breathed a sigh of relief and grinned, saying, "Well, I did it. Guess I may as well join the others," only for the poison to still effect her as she winced, leaning down on one knee. She then took a deep breath and sighed, "Or maybe I should rest. I'm sure the others can handle the rest, anyway," a light smile on her face.

But while things had turned out well for Delphox, how would the others fair? Would Meloetta be able to regain the advantage she had lost? Would Gallador and Garbodor defeat Jumpluff and Sunflora?


	78. Chapter 78

While Delphox had managed to win her match, Meloetta was still having trouble as Dunsparce spun toward her with his arms and legs out, shouting, "TAIL TWISTER BARRAGE!"

Before she could even respond, she would up taking the strike to her right side as she struggled to stay up. But before she could regain her balance, Dunsparce turned around and hit her left side, causing her to spin briefly as she winced from the pain, breathing heavily and looking for a way around this.

Dunsparce continued his assault as the green-haired girl took a deep breath, attempting to dodge to the side. Unfortunately, the snake was too fast as he smirked, opening up his arm and taking hold of her ankle. He continued to spin her around with him and flung her head-first into the wall, his spinning coming to a halt as he could not afford to have the attack last too long.

Meloetta groaned and fell on her chin, twitching as she slowly pushed herself back to her feet. This was terrible. She had started the fight so strong and now that Dunsparce had switched to this new tactic, she was practically helpless.

The snake grinned and folded his arms, saying, "You know, I might actually spare your life if you just forfeit and admit that I'm the better fighter. Heck, why not just join us? After all, anyone who serves Yveltal and Xerneas won't have to take orders from them when they enslave humanity."

The green-haired girl bit her lower lip before retorting, "That makes no sense!" Dunsparce staring as she added, "Think about it! How are you actually free if you're still serving them!?" the snake sighing, "Such a typical answer. I guess I can't expect everyone to understand."

Though deep down, he did not have an actual answer to this question. A part of him was debating whether or not his opponent was right.

But just as it seemed like he might end up switching sides, a grin crossed his face as he said, "I'll admit, though, that you do raise a good point, but here's the difference between me and all the other servants. I volunteered, meaning I'm actually happy to do this and will even get good treatment after Yveltal and Xerneas take over. That is what makes me and all the other soldiers here different from those who are doomed to be forced into servitude. Thus I feel that I have made the right choice."

Meloetta bit her lower lip, now truly fearing for her life. She had really hoped that he would change his mind after hearing that, but she could not let this get her down. Not only would losing endanger her friends, but she would also lose her life.

With that in mind, she waited as Dunsparce started up his tail drill again, saying, "A few more good hits should be enough to knock you out. Then I can pierce your flesh," placing the tip against the floor, feeling that he had allowed himself enough time to avoid getting dizzy.

"TAIL TWISTER BARRAGE!" he exclaimed as he headed toward the green-haired girl only for her to take a deep breath and think, 'There's only one option left. Please let this work,' before lifting up her arms and a single leg, twirling toward him.

Soon enough, both fighters collided with one-another, Meloetta's foot and hand making contact with the snake's. Unfortunately, since he was physically stronger, she was overpowered as she cried out in pain, leaving herself open for another strike, coughing up blood as her arm was now in extreme pain.

But as the snake turned around and headed toward her again, she noticed she was mere inches away from the wall behind her, took a deep breath and thought, 'No. There is something I can do. Though I probably shouldn't use my hyper voice. Hopefully, this will work this time.'

With that in mind, she waited for Dunsparce to close in on her before leaping gracefully to the side. Luckily, she had timed this much better as the snake missed her and ran into the wall, his teeth gritted as his body shook. As if that was not bad enough for him, since he was distracted, he continued to spin subconsciously as his eyelids defied logic and started to swirl.

It was then that his spinning came to a halt as he struggled to stand upright. Meloetta saw a perfect opportunity as she thought, 'Good. I finally have him,' before leaping at him and planting her feet hard into his gut, knocking him on his back.

She then latched her hair onto him and hurled him high into the air, leaping up over him and pressing her legs together. She also cupped her hands over her head and spun while descending into his midsection, squeaking, "BALLERINA BOMB!" sending him crashing hard into the floor.

As Dunsparce lay there, his body twitching, Meloetta leapt off of him and took a deep breath, thinking, 'Wow, I just came up with that. That was really effective.'

She then put on a more serious look and cupped her hands together, her mind adding, 'Either way, you've been avenged, Marshal. Hopefully Dunsparce will learn his lesson and come around, but at least for the time being, he can't threaten anyone.'

However, her train of thought came to an end, her eyes widening when the snake slowly but surely pushed himself back up. He breathed heavily and stared at the green-haired girl before smirking and saying, "Wow, that was impressive."

Meloetta stood there silently and shook her head, the snake adding, "I never knew someone as delicate as you could pull off such an amazing tactic. But even so, it'll take a lot more than that to defeat me, the mighty Dunsparce."

The green-haired girl could still not believe it. Even though she had not dealt a lot of hits to Dunsparce, she still wished that last attack could have been enough. With how surprising he had been so far, she could only imagine what else he had in store.

While all of this happened, Jumpluff and Sunflora were more than ready for their fight as the cotton weed leapt atop the sunflower's arms. She was then propelled into the air as she descended toward Gallador only for the white boy to smirk and say, "Too easy."

With that, he proceeded to cross his arms in front of his head, Garbodor grinning as he raced toward Sunflora with his fists at the ready. Needless to say, Rinko and Venipede felt safe seeing both heroes fighting more logically than the villains.

But just as Jumpluff was about to fall into Gallador's countermeasure, she flapped her arms up and down, using her cotton to slow down her descent. She then proceeded to fire small seeds from her mouth into Gallador's arm blades, small roots coming out and planting themselves into him.

Gallador's eyes widened as Jumpluff exclaimed, "WORRY SEED!" the white boy trembling as he uttered, "OH GOD, THIS MIGHT NOT WORK!" lowering his arms and attempting to back away from Jumpluff's landing point. However, in his state of panic, he was unable to focus and thus tripped and fell on his back, Jumpluff taking full advantage of this and planting her feet into his gut.

All the while, Garbodor sent a punch toward Sunflora's face only for the sunflower to tilt his head sideways. His pedals then sharpened and shone like blades as he spun his head around, shouting, "SUNFLOWER BUZZ SAW!"

Garbodor's eyes widened as he took a big cut to his hand, crying out in pain as a mix of oil and blood flew out. Seeing this, Venipede and Rinko were terrified, hoping the two heroes could turn this around. After all, both had proven themselves more than capable of getting out of scrapes like this.

And while Garbodor was able to ignore the pain to his hand after a few seconds, he noticed Gallador trembling and holding up his arms defensively while Jumpluff sent a series of punches toward him. Though for some odd reason, when one managed to connect with his face, it dealt considerable pain as the white boy was already coughing up blood. But how could cotton be so powerful?

Before the trash heap could contemplate what was going on, his eyes widened as Sunflora shone a bright light from his mouth onto his leafy arms, causing them to expand in size. He then wrapped them around Garbodor from behind and said, "You know you shouldn't turn your back to the enemy, right?"

As if that was not shocking enough, Sunflora seemed to be a lot stronger than his build implied as he lifted the trash heap up and leaned backward, planting the back of his head into the canvas. And while this went on, Gallador still looked terrified out of his mind while allowing himself to take in more punches from Jumpluff, the cotton weed laughing as if she was drunk.

"What the hell did you do to him!?" Rinko barked as Jumpluff replied, "I'd appreciate it if you watched your language, but I'll tell you anyway. Those seeds I planted into his arm are my worry seeds. The roots send a signal throughout the body of whoever they're attached to that causes them to become paranoid, only thinking about bad outcomes thus preventing them from focusing on anything that can give them a good outcome."

Upon hearing this, Venipede implied a frown with his eyes and snapped, "Come on, Gallador! You're so much better than this! You don't strike me as the kind to get scared!" the white boy retorting, "You wouldn't understand!" as tears came from his eyes, Jumpluff delivering her twentieth punch to his face as he coughed up blood.

Garbodor wanted so badly to help his ally right now, but with Sunflora in his way, that would be difficult. As such, he pointed his fingers over the sunflower and shouted, "GUNK SHOT!" firing three mounds of garbage toward the cotton weed.

However, it seemed that Sunflora would not allow him to do that as he leapt up in front of the garbage, his head expanding in side. He then proceeded to spin it like a pinwheel, shouting, "FLOWER SHIELD!" creating just enough momentum for the garbage to bounce off of him and hit Garbodor in the face.

Venipede and Rinko could not believe just how easy this all seemed for Jumpluff and Sunflora. Neither villain had taken in so much as a hit yet they had already delivered plenty of attacks of their own and even managed to draw blood.

However, Garbodor could not stand this anymore as he gritted his teeth, growling, "Alright, that's it! I was hoping to save this, but I have no choice! BELCH!"

With that, he unleashed a loud burp as a cloud of gas headed toward Sunflora. This time, the sunflower was unable to retaliate as he held onto his neck, coughing and gagging while the heap proceeded to lift him up, rolling him into a ball.

Venipede and Rinko cheered as Garbodor exclaimed, "RECYCLE BOMB!" hurling Sunflora into Jumpluff's back. The cotton weed's eyes widened as Gallador saw her flying toward him, shouting, "NO, GO AWAY!" swinging his arm around and sending a barrage of palm punches into her face.

With that, both plants backed away as Garbodor sighed, "Forgive me for this, buddy, but this has to be done," before shouting, "BELCH!" and unleashing another monster burp, the gas covering Gallador thus causing the roots manipulating his mind to wilt.

Once they fell off of him, Venipede breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Thank god. I was wondering if there really was a way to get rid of those roots," as Rinko nodded and replied, "That was a little unorthodox, but you can't argue with results."

Gallador breathed heavily and gagged as he retorted, "DUDE, WHAT THE HELL!?" Garbodor about to explain things. However, it seemed the white boy realized what was up when he looked down at the roots that once controlled him and took a deep breath, saying, "Thanks."

"Any time, buddy," Garbodor replied with a grin as the two pounded their fists, Jumpluff frowning with her cheeks inflated as she grunted, "How dare you kill my beautiful, beautiful plants!? I'm gonna make you pay!"

"You mean we're gonna make him pay," Sunflora remarked as the cotton weed nodded and replied, "Damn straight, darling."

All went silent until Venipede uttered, "Huh, that came out of left field," as Rinko nodded and said, "I was certain they were just really good friends," the plants grinning as if having their relationship acknowledged by the enemy was something to be proud of.

Either way, Garbodor and Gallador would not allow them to do any more as the white boy leapt atop his partner's shoulder. He then spread his arms out and asked, "You ready for this?" Garbodor nodding and replying, "You'd better believe it," following suit.

He then leapt a small ways off the ground as he and Gallador started to spin, shouting, "JUNK COPTER!" heading toward the plants as Garbodor's fists hit them hard in the face. He then lowered said parts thus clipping their feet and causing them to fly into the air, allowing each to take in a slash to the cheek from Gallador.

But just as it seemed like the beating could only get worse, Sunflora tilted his head sideways and spun it once again, shouting, "SUNFLOWER BUZZ SAW!" Garbodor and Gallador's spinning coming to a halt as the flower head proved too much for even the white boy.

As a result, he found himself forced off of Garbodor's shoulders as Jumpluff took hold of Sunflora's ankles, saying, "Come on, let's show them our teamwork."

"Hell yeah!" the sunflower replied with a big grin as his head continued to spin, the cotton weed lifting him up before swinging him downward, said head colliding with Garbodor's. Thus his trash bag was cut open as the plants shouted, "SUNFLOWER WEED WHACKER!"

Venipede and Rinko could not believe their eyes as this proved just enough to knock Garbodor unconscious, his eyes rolled to the back of his head as he fell backwards. Gallador stared at this in horror, anger taking over as he spat, "YOU ASSHOLES!"

He then charged at them with his arms folded, ready to unleash his father's infamous Psycho Cut. But just as he was about to do so, Jumpluff waved her arms around, small bits of cotton flying toward Gallador as she said, "Cotton Spore."

Gallador's eyes widened as he felt his speed drop significantly. With that, Sunflora held out his arms as Jumpluff leap up onto them, narrowing her eyelids as she examined the incoming white boy.

"Now," she said as Sunflora nodded, both exclaiming, "COTTON WEED CANNONBALL!"

With that, Jumpluff was launched forward as her forehead made contact with Gallador's. The white boy coughed up blood and fell hard on his back, his head tilted sideways and his arms spread out.

Venipede blinked as Rinko snapped, "Hey, come on! Surely, you can get up from that, right!?"

However, when Gallador could not even move, Jumpluff smirked and said, "I hate to break it to you, but your saviours just lost. I'll give them props for getting the upper hand against us, but that's about it. Guess you two will just have to settle for sitting there while we finish them off."

"HOLD IT!" Venipede snapped as the plants turned to him, Rinko equally surprised as he narrowed his eyelids, grunting, "You're not even gonna try and fight us!? You two are goddamn cowards!"

"Wait, what!?" Sunflora retorted with irritation as the centipede added, "Think about it! If you manage to defeat us as well, you only end up looking more impressive, but because you'd rather resort to the cheap tactic of having us trapped therefor unable to fight you, you just come off as pathetic wimps who can't handle a real challenge. If you're so amazing, you should be able to win two fights in a row."

Rinko had to admit, she was impressed. The once scared and wimpy Venipede was currently taunting the enemies into fighting him.

But most of all, it seemed to work as Sunflora blinked and uttered, "I have to admit, he actually has a point there. Imagine how proud Yveltal and Xerneas will be knowing we defeated and killed four heroes instead of just two."

"Yeah," Jumpluff replied with a big smile as she walked over to the vines binding the two heroes and stroked them softly. This caused them to vibrate before loosening their hold on Venipede and Rinko, allowing them to leap into the ring.

"As you can see, your friend went about saving you the wrong way," Jumpluff explained, "All you have to do is show these plants love and affection and they'll stop being so aggressive."

Venipede narrowed his eyelids and asked, "Why are you two on the side of evil again? You seem way too good for this sort of thing," only for Sunflora to shrug and remark, "We just don't wanna be on Yveltal and Xerneas' bad side when they inevitably take over the world. We love each other too much. If we turned against them, they'd separate us."

The plants then shared a hug as Rinko blinked and sighed, "Great, now I kinda feel bad about having to beat them up," only for Venipede to pat her on the shoulder and reply, "Don't forget, unlike them, we won't resort to killing. We'll just knock them out and leave it at that."

The brunette nodded as she said, "But first," walking over to Gallador and lifting him up by the shoulders, dragging him toward the edge of the ring. Venipede nodded and did the same for Garbodor seeing as his physical strength was higher than Rinko's.

Once their unconscious comrades were out of harm's way, the two were ready as Sunflora and Jumpluff held up fighting stances, the cotton weed saying, "Don't think we're gonna be so easy just because we've taken in a bit of damage. As you've already seen, we are quite the force to be reckoned with."

During this time, Dunsparce circled Meloetta with a smirk as she held up her arms defensively. While she had found a way around his spinning technique, she had no idea what else he could possibly use.

But before they could continue, she had to know one thing as she asked, "Hey, Dunsparce, time out," making a T with her hands as the snake blinked and uttered, "Why the hell would I do that?"

"I'm curious about something," the green-haired girl replied, "Why do you keep putting the word dentist in the names of your drill-based attacks?"

The snake blinked before remarking, "Are you kidding me!? Have you ever had a dentist try to drill your teeth!? My pearly whites may be fine now, but way back when, they were dirty as hell! I'm telling you, that shit's painful!"

He then clutched onto his cheeks and uttered, "In fact, one of my very first victims after I turned to the side of evil was my family's dentist. I'm not even kidding. I took a flight back to my hometown just so I could kill the woman who made me suffer for five years of my life!"

He remembered that time when he stepped into her office, pinned her to the table and planted his tail into her mouth, drilling open the back of her head like a killer in a horror movie. He let out maniacal laughter just thinking about it, Meloetta staring wide-eyed, feeling like she was going to vomit.

"As you can see, it is way too late for me to redeem myself, and I love it!" the snake exclaimed as he leapt toward the green-haired girl, latching his legs to her shoulders and leaning forward, grabbing hold of her wrists and forcing her arms back as her eyes widened.

He then started up his tail and said, "By the way, in case you're wondering, I actually based this particular manoeuvre off of how it felt sitting in that chair while that bitch used her drill on me! This is payback!" starting up his tail drill as Meloetta bit her lower lip, her entire body trembling.

"TAIL DENTISTRY!" the snake exclaimed, but just as he was about to finish Meloetta off for good, she exclaimed, "HYPER VOICE!" unleashing an enchanting but ultra-loud song from her mouth, big sound waves coming out.

Dunsparce's eyes actually widened for the first time in his life as he gritted his teeth, trying his hardest to hold on while cuts formed all over his body. However, he was ultimately too weak to hold on any longer as he let go, flying high into the air until his back made contact with the roof, putting a tiny crack in it.

And as he started to fall, Meloetta realized she could not allow someone so crazy to rise to his feet again. As such, she leapt high into the air with her arms up, catching him midway and shouting, "SWAN LEAP FINALE!"

She then tilted her body forward, aiming Dunsparce's face toward the floor as he soon made contact with it. His eyes closed up once more as Meloetta released her hold, allowing him to collapse and breathing heavily. But unlike before, she watched him closely to make sure he would not rise to his feet again. She could not risk dropping her guard, not for a second.

She tensed up when Dunsparce slowly pushed himself up, grunting, "You monster!" only to cough up blood and pass out, Meloetta breathed a sigh of relief. At the very least, he could no longer take any lives, but even so, she really hoped he would one day change his mind and try to return to the side of good. If anything, his former allies would be fortunate to have someone like him fight alongside them.

But while Delphox and Ariados had defeated their opponents, would the others be so fortunate? After all, Jumpluff and Sunflora had already proven themselves far stronger than they looked while Volcanion had five more soldiers standing guard. Needless to say, this was far from over.


	79. Chapter 79

After seeing how easily Jumpluff and Sunflora defeated Gallador and Garbodor, Venipede was a tad nervous. But even so, he had mustered up the courage to challenge the plants and he was once again fighting alongside Rinko, only this time the conditions seemed more fair. After all, they were not high above a large body of water again.

However, it seemed that they might still need to be careful as Sunflora grinned and exclaimed, "Hey, Jumpluff, I just thought of the greatest idea ever!" the cotton weed squealing, "Oh, what did you have in mind!?"

"Well, you know those special seeds of yours?" the sunflower enquired as she nodded and said, "Well, naturally," Rinko groaning, "Do I even wanna know what these do?"

"I was thinking maybe we could feed them to our lovely flowers," Sunflora explained as Jumpluff seemed to love the idea, jumping up and down and clapping her hands with glee.

And sure enough, Rinko's fears were completely justified as the cotton weed leapt up and spun around while shooting seeds from her mouth into the flowers beside the ring. Seconds after they made contact, the heads of the flowers shifted into what one would expect to see on a Venus flytrap. Worst of all was that it looked as if they were trying to uproot themselves so they could run into the ring and feast upon Venipede and Rinko.

The only upside was that Garbodor and Gallador were resting on one of the two sides that the flower patches were not covering. As such, they were perfectly safe from being eaten for the time being.

"Well, this should make things a lot more interesting, wouldn't you agree?" Sunflora asked as Jumpluff nodded and replied, "Oh yes. I am so glad you came up with this."

Venipede gulped as he uttered, "Okay, this is fine. We just have to stay in the ring at all times," as Rinko sighed, "Don't worry. It's like the others always told you. You're more badass than you give yourself credit for. I know we can do this."

The centipede took a deep breath and nodded before striking a fighting pose along with the brunette. And of course, Sunflora and Jumpluff were ready as well. While they had taken in damage from Gallador and Garbodor earlier, they still felt that they did not need any rest to prepare themselves for this match.

As such, Rinko and Venipede stood their ground as Sunflora leapt atop the tuft on Jumpluff's head. The cotton weed then proceeded to lean it back as the sunflower tilted his head sideways, spinning it as the two shouted, "SUNFLOWER FRISBEE!"

Sunflora was launched forward as Rinko and Venipede dodged to the side. However, it seemed this was exactly what the plants had hoped for as the Sunflower stopped spinning and released two rays of light from his mouth, once again growing his arms as he wrapped them around the heroes.

Both struggled to free themselves, but Sunflora's grip was surprisingly strong as he swung them around, sending Rinko flying into the turnbuckle. And before she could even respond, Venipede was flung into her as she grunted in pain, the centipede groaning, "Sorry."

Things only got worse when Jumpluff raced toward him with her arms and head cotton stretched back. And once she was close enough, she sent all three cotton balls into Venipede's gut.

Just like when she punched Gallador, her cotton was shockingly strong. But Venipede refused to let this get to him as he noticed more punches coming his way, crossing four of his arms and blocking the incoming strikes. And while this still caused him pain, it was not as bad as he took full advantage of this, using his two free arms to take hold of Jumpluff's wrists.

Her eyes widened as she tried to pry her arms out, pulling Venipede forward as he said, "Now, Rinko," the Brunette nodding with a smirk and leaping over his head. But just as it looked like she was about to plant a kick into the cotton weed's skull, Sunflora leapt at her with his head spinning and barked, "As if I'd let you do that! SUNFLOWER BUZZ SAW!"

Before Rinko could even retaliate, she took the sharpened petals to her feet. The souls of her shoes were ripped open while cuts formed on her flesh, the brunette crying out in pain as she fell on her back.

"Are you okay!?" Venipede spat only for Jumpluff to take full advantage of this, sending her top cotton ball downward and into his skull. His eyes started to spin as a result while the cotton weed took full advantage of his grip on her, leaping into the air and leaning backwards before planting his head into the canvas.

As if that was not enough, Sunflora proceeded to take hold of Rinko's ankles, lifting her up and swinging her around before flinging her into the turnbuckle with a giant swing. With that, the two plants skipped happily over to one-another and shared their equivalent of a high five, big smiles on their faces.

Rinko groaned and rubbed the back of her head, Venipede slowly recovering and uttering, "Are you okay?" the brunette nodding and replying, "Don't worry about me. I can tough this out. But goddamn, I can see why these two managed to defeat Gallador and Garbodor as easily as they did. They look so weak and yet they pack a serious punch."

"Not to mention I think there's something else under those cotton balls of Jumpluff's," Venipede uttered, "Seriously, when she hit me earlier, it was like being struck by cannonballs. I've faced tough opponents before, but never like this."

"But still," Rinko replied with a grin, "We can beat them, right? After all, we defeated Carnivine and Dusclops despite the odds constantly being stacked against us. Alone, we're already awesome, but together, we're a match made in heaven."

Venipede nodded with an implied smile as Sunflora blinked and said, "Oh yeah, we haven't actually beaten them yet," Jumpluff nodding and adding, "Well, we've already gotten a good start. Let's see how much more punishment they can take."

Meanwhile, the others were close to the staircase that led to the third floor, Torchic taking a deep breath and stopping as she said, "You know what? I think it might be a good idea to take a break. Not for too long, but just enough so we won't be out of breath the next time a villain shows up."

"Oh, praise the lord!" Jackalu exclaimed with a big smile, sitting down just like a normal dog would as Clawitzer rolled her eyes and sighed, "Still, Torchic's got a point. If we run non-stop, by the time we get to Xerneas and Yveltal, we won't have the strength to fight them."

"Not me," Fletchinder remarked with a smirk, "I'm too badass," Vigoroth nodding and replying, "Well, I have much more energy than your typical sloth, but we can't risk having another one of us die."

Eiko bit her lower lip, Isamu patting her on the shoulder and sighing. As much as the group would have rather not let Marshal's death lower their spirits, it was certainly hard to ignore. But deep down, they knew the sloth was right. If the heroes could not stand up to the rest of the villains, they would surely suffer the same fate.

However, their eyes widened when they heard what sounded like a large bell chiming. And when they looked up, it seemed that their suspicions were correct. Such an object was indeed hanging from the ceiling, but this was no ordinary bell.

This was made clear when it called out in a male voice, "Oh, I'm sorry! Did I startle you!? My word, I really need to brush up on my entrances!"

The group stared in stunned silence as the bell lifted up an arm, detaching himself from a hook that was attached to a chain. He then fell hard against the floor and grinned, saying, "A pleasure to make your acquaintance. I am Bronzong," before bowing as best as he could.

Bronzong's body was greenish-blue and while he was a bell, he also resembled a totem pole. His body was as hollow as one would expect as he had two round, red eyes with greenish-blue pupils near the bottom of his body. His mouth was located between the eyes as opposed to below them and was shaped like a perfect rectangle with only one set of square teeth. His arms were attached to his ears and were also rectangular. And like any bell, his crown had a small hole in the middle of it, which he had used to hang himself high above the floor.

The group continued to stare until Sneasel uttered, "How did you get all the way up there?" as Bronzong chuckled and floated into the air, saying, "Oh, I have the ability to hover. Sorry, were you expecting a more complex answer?"

The heroes all looked at one-another as Eiko sighed, "Well, at least he seems more civil than the others," Bronzong nodding and replying, "Why, thank you for noticing. As much as I like fighting alongside my allies, they can be pretty brash and vulgar. But even so, I do not wish to be a tool of Yveltal and Xerneas when they enslave humanity, so I grin and bare it all the same."

Upon hearing that, the heroes all rose up their arms defensively only for Bronzong to sigh, "Oh, don't worry, I have no intention of fighting any of you yet. I could not help but overhear just how tired all of you were, so allow me to offer you some soothing tea."

With that, he reached under the hole in his bottom and pulled out a bag that had been tied to his clapper. Inside was a small tea set with the liquid already having been made, Jackalu excited to try it while the other glares suspiciously at the bell.

"Oh, let me guess, those ruffians, Jumpluff and Sunflora offered you tea as well, didn't they?" Bronzong asked the heroes stared wide-eyed and nodded, the bell adding, "You were right to refuse that if you did. They have no respect for such a remarkable beverage. I mean, this is supposed to be the healthiest drink out there, and to do something as vulgar as poison it, it's simply too much to bear."

As he poured each person a cup, the others surprised that he even had that many in the first place, he added, "In fact, this is part of the reason I rather enjoy living in Japan. They love tea just as much as my old cohorts in jolly old England."

Eiko picked up her cup and sniffed it, saying, "It smells wonderful," as Isamu did the same, nodding and saying, "Yeah. This is a nice change of pace."

"It's a kind of a shame one of us is gonna have to fight you after this," Sneasel said with a grin as Bronzong sighed, "Alas, that is true. I'd love to give up my allegiance to Yveltal and Xerneas and just let you all waltz off toward their quarters, but I cannot break my code."

"Well, for now, we'll just enjoy this nice little break," Torchic said with a grin as Fletchinder shrugged and uttered, "Well, as long as it's free."

But as the group consumed their tea, their eyelids started to feel heavy as Jackalu yawned and uttered, "Well, I think I used more energy than expected. I think I'll take a little nap," before toppling over onto his side and falling asleep, his foot twitching.

"Hey, we're just taking a little rest," Clawitzer remarked before yawning, "Try to stay a-"

She then passed out as Torchic groaned, "I think I'll doze off for a bit too," the others following suit. Bronzong grinned at the sight of this before noticing Gigalith still sitting there with a look of anger on his face, the bell blinking and uttering, "Um... why are you still awake?"

The golem pointed at his face as the bell nodded and said, "Oh, you don't have a mouth. I see," Gigalith wasting no time rising to his feet and sending a hard punch into Bronzong, causing him to back up slightly.

He shook his head with a smirk on his face, saying, "Oh well. If that's truly the best you can do, then this hardly matters to me. Once I take you down, you'll all be easy pickings."

With that, the bell proceeded to fly toward Gigalith only for the golem to fold his arms. But while he had managed to block the incoming strike, due to Bronzong's steel body, this still dealt quite a bit of pain to him. But even so, there was no way he would allow himself to lose. After all, doing so would result in the death of not only him but his allies.

While things had started off heavily against Rinko and Venipede, there was no way they would lose. As such, the two waited as Sunflora took hold of Jumpluff, launching her toward Rinko as both plants exclaimed, "COTTON WEED CANNONBALL!"

But just as Jumpluff was about to make contact, Rinko smirked and said, "Too easy," before swinging her arm sideways and shouting, "ARM SCHWERT!"

She had timed this perfectly as the cotton weed took the blow to her gut, her eyes wide open as she fell on her back. Even Sunflora could not believe his eyes. It was not so much the fact that Rinko had successfully blocked the move, but that a human was able to deal this much damage with what appeared to be an ordinary karate chop.

Seeing the sunflower distracted gave Venipede the perfect opportunity as he rolled up into a ball and sped toward him, his shoulder blades forming as he exclaimed, "CENTIPEDE STEAMROLLER!"

Sunflora gasped and attempted to dodge only for Rinko to leap at him, moving slightly faster than her boyfriend and sending a hard kick into his skull. This distracted him just long enough for Venipede to put a big cut on each of his arms, a mixture of water and blood flying out as the centipede's body only added to the damage when it made contact with his gut.

And with both plants down, Rinko somersaulted over to Jumpluff and took hold of the cotton string atop her head, hurling her into the turnbuckle while Venipede flipped Sunflora onto his belly, shouting, "CENTIPEDE BACKBREAKER!" wrapping his arms and legs around him and bending his back.

He and Rinko grinned at one-another, glad to have finally gotten the upper hand. But just as the brunette was ready to deal more damage to Jumpluff, she was caught off guard when the cotton weed quickly recovered and turned toward her, shooting a seed into her chest.

"WORRY SEED!" she exclaimed as roots emerged from it, shifting over Rinko's shoulders and around her waist, planting themselves into her back as if she wearing a chest strap.

At that moment, she started to panic as Jumpluff smirked and asked, "Hey, Sunflora, do you need help?" the sunflower replying, "Oh, don't worry about me. I can easily get out of this."

"Wait, what?" Venipede remarked as Sunflora spun his head, barking, "SUNFLOWER BUZZ SAW!" putting a cut in the centipede's chin.

In response, Venipede cried out in pain as he released his hold on the sunflower. Sunflora took full advantage of this as he spun around, smacking the centipede in the cheek before wrapping his arms around him. And with Venipede too distracted to retaliate, Sunflora lifted him up and leaned backward, planting the back of his neck into the canvas.

As if that was not bad enough, Rinko was too scared to help out while Jumpluff slowly advanced towards her. The brunette backed away slowly as the cotton weed beamed and said, "Boo."

Rinko cried out in terror as she ran toward the ropes and climbed on top of them, Venipede's eyes widening as he spat, "RINKO, NO!" only for Sunflora to leap onto his back and pull on his chin, saying, "Let's see how you like it."

And sure enough, once the brunette saw the various flytraps ready to feast upon her flesh, she took multiple breaths and was just about to leap off the ropes. However, it was too late as Jumpluff leapt toward her, ramming into her back thus forcing her to fall forward into the patch of land.

"NO!" Venipede cried out out, ignoring the pain being applied to his back as Rinko cried out in agonizing pain, the flytraps nipping away at her flesh, her clothes starting to tare. She had not lost any flesh yet, but if this kept up, that would likely happen. And to make matters worse, she could not bring herself to attempt an escape as Jumpluff was now standing atop the ropes, giving her a murderous look as if to imply that if the brunette returned, she would have to deal with worse.

Seeing this, Venipede fumed and spat, "ALRIGHT, THAT'S IT!" before focusing as hard as he could. And after a few second, he managed to force his back upward thus shoving Sunflora off of him. But just as it seemed like he would get a chance to save Rinko, Jumpluff wasted no time sending bits of cotton toward him, shouting, "COTTON SPORE!"

And sure enough, the centipede's speed was reduced greatly as he groaned, "No," trying his hardest to race forward only for Sunflora to tilt his head sideways, spinning it while shouting, "SUNFLOWER BUZZ SAW!" sending it into Venipede's back and cutting it open.

He fell forward once again as Sunflora expanded his head, leaning it back and shouting, "SUNFLOWER FLYSWATTER!" allowing his body to fall forward as his head hit the back of Venipede's hard, causing him to cough up a bit of green blood.

As if that was not bad enough, Rinko continued to suffer as a small bit of her shoulder had been bitten off and swallowed by one of the flytraps. A bit had also been taken from her legs along with her arms. It also did not help that due to her sports outfit being so small, it was easy for the plants to devour it.

Venipede could see this as he scowled and snapped, "RINKO, COME ON!" the brunette's eyes widening as he added, "I know you're being manipulated right now, but come on, even with that seed in you, I know you're better than this! You taught me to stand up for myself and overcome my fear of fighting! You shaped me into a hero! If it hadn't been for you, I wouldn't have been able to beat you in a fair fight! I refuse to believe someone like you would be scared, mind control or not!"

The brunette took a deep breath, suddenly able to ignore all the pain that had been dealt to her as she gritted her teeth and spat, "YOU'RE RIGHT!" propelling herself toward Jumpluff. The cotton weed's eyes widened as the brunette planted her feet hard into her face, causing her to fall on her back while breathing heavily, not even caring about the fact that she was currently naked.

Before Sunflora could respond, Rinko leapt toward him and sent a roundhouse into his neck, causing him to release his hold on Venipede and fall on his side. The centipede's eyes sparkled as the brunette gave him a sweet smile and held out her hand, saying, "Danke schoen."

Venipede took hold of said part as she helped him up, Sunflora and Jumpluff rising to their feet with slight fear in their expressions. They could not believe what they were seeing. Rinko still had the roots digging into her flesh and yet despite that, she was fully focused on the match.

"Are you alright?" Venipede asked with a sigh of relief, "I thought for sure you were gonna die back there. Look at all that skin they took," as Rinko snickered and replied, "It'll take a lot more than that to kill me. I may be a human, but I have the strength of one of you guys. Besides, these wounds only serve to make me look more badass, wouldn't you agree?"

The centipede nodded before uttering, "By the way, you should probably find some clothes," his cheeks turning beet red as the brunette looked down and laughed nervously, saying, "That's a good idea."

But before she could do so, the villains' fear left them as Jumpluff growled, "I have no idea how in the hell you're able to resist the roots of my worry seed, but it hardly matters! Even if your courage has returned, you've taken in far too much damage!"

Sunflora nodded and said, "Come on, let's finish this, honey," the cotton weed nodding with a grin, Rinko realizing she might have to hold off on covering herself up.

Jumpluff launched herself toward Venipede, Sunflora leaping toward Rinko. However, both heroes were prepared as Rinko rushed at the sunflower, wrapping her arms around him and leaping into the air. She then rested him atop her shoulder and leaned backwards, shouting, "FLYING HAMMER!" planting the back of his head into the canvas.

Strangely enough, after she did this, more roots emerged from the worry seed, wrapping themselves around her and planting themselves into her back. However, rather than upping their strength, all they really did was cover up her chest, more roots forming from her hips and creating a speedo. It was as if the roots had chosen to replace her sports outfit. And while her being covered up hardly mattered during a fight with a villain, it was still refreshing to have some clothes, as unconventional as they were.

Venipede waited for Jumpluff to get close before leaping into the air and flipping vertically, ramming his tail into her shoulder. This distracted her long enough for him to wrap four of his arms around, leaping into the air and leaning backward, slamming her top cotton ball into the surface.

While this did not hurt the cotton weed as much as it should have, it caused the entire ball to collapse, revealing a hand with an iron gauntlet underneath. When Venipede released his hold on her and leapt away, he saw this as his eyes widened.

"No wonder your punches are so strong!" he spat, Jumpluff nodding with a smirk as she remarked, "That's right! You didn't think my hands were actually cotton balls, did you!? How would I be able to lift things if that was the case!?"

With that, the cotton weed proceeded to shake all of her cotton off, revealing her other hands. And just like the one on her head, she had an iron gauntlet for each one.

As if that was not enough, Sunflora had already recovered from Rinko's move as he smiled wickedly, saying, "You need to try better than that to defeat one of us," the brunette frowning as she struck a fighting pose.

While she and Venipede had certainly turned things around, this fight was far from over. Not only that, but Gigalith had to deal with Bronzong. Could they possibly finish what they started or were they just delaying the inevitable?


	80. Chapter 80

While Rinko and Venipede's match had gone on, Gigalith and Bronzong were in the midst of their own fight. Their hands were currently locked as each was trying to overpower the other. Though currently, the bell seemed to be dominating as Gigalith's knees bent backwards, his body about to make contact with the floor.

"I have to say, for a golem, you're not all that impressive," Bronzong said with a grin, "In fact, I'm actually quite underwhelmed."

However, it seemed as if Gigalith had wanted him to do this as once his back made contact with the surface, he lifted up his feet and sent them into the area just above the bell's eyes. This sent him into the air as the golem propelled himself up, wrapping his legs around his crown and his arms around his midsection.

Bronzong's eyes widened, and if he knew how rare it was for the golem to use moves like this, he would have been even more shocked. Even so, there was little he could do as the two descended.

But just as they were about to make contact, his shock was replaced by smug confidence as he smirked and said, "I'll admit, I'm kind of impressed you managed to fight back, but it hardly matters. My crown is invincible, so this won't deal any pain to me whatsoever!"

He soon realized just how stupid it was to reveal this information as right before they made contact, Gigalith used all his might to flip him ninety degrees. As such, the bell's back hit the floor as opposed to his crown, a look of pain on his face.

It did not end there as Gigalith spread out his legs, mounting himself on top of Bronzong and sending a slew of punches into his forehead. However, the bell refused to let him continue as he sent his arms inward, clapping them against the next arm that came toward him.

Since Gigalith's arms and legs were so thin, this wound up dealing a lot more pain that it would have to any other part. As such, he hesitated just long enough for Bronzong to shift his arms backward, using them to propel his lower body up and fling the golem off of him, the back of his head hitting the floor.

Bronzong proceeded to right himself up with a smirk on his face as he said, "While I have to admit that was slightly impressive, you're still going to lose this match," hovering over the golem whose body had just collapsed, "Why? Because stone is weaker than metal."

With that, he proceeded to descend, shouting, "HEAVY SLAM!" and landing on top of the golem, causing him even more pain. And things only got worse when the bell rose up again, Gigalith trying his hardest to move out of the way. Unfortunately, he was feeling a tad too weak as he took another blow to his torso, his eyes widening.

But when Bronzong floated up to use his Heavy Slam a third time, Gigalith narrowed his eyelids as he refused to let himself take in more damage. Thus when he saw his opponent coming, he lifted up his arms and took hold of his bell lips. The golem then rose to his feet and sent his arms downward, slamming Bronzong's back into the floor.

He refused to allow the bell to rise again as he leapt into the air, spreading his legs out. Bronzong's eyes widened in panic as the golem landed on top of him. And despite his metal exterior, this caused him immense pain.

'I can't believe it!' the bell thought with his eyes wide with fear, 'Even with my superior strength, he's still managed to outdo me! I need some way to not only get the advantage back but keep it! But how can I-'

He then turned one eye over to one of Gigalith's unconscious friends, specifically Sneasel. While he did not know of their connection, gazing upon her still gave him an idea as a big grin formed on his face as if the pain was meaningless to him now.

First, the bell would need to get Gigalith off of him. As such, he reached under the hole in his bottom and used it to force his clapper to rock and forth. This caused a loud gong to emit from him, though this one was different from earlier as he exclaimed, "METAL SOUND!"

A light-grey beam shot from the hole and hit the wall. It then bounced off as Bronzong explained, "By the way, this attack only effects living beings."

This was proven when the beam hit Gigalith hard in the back, the golem's eyes wide with shock. Thus he found himself flying forward as Bronzong righted himself up, reaching for his clapper again. This time, he pulled out a rope as Gigalith started to recover, rubbing his forehead and making a light groaning sound.

"By the way, while I may be a gentleman outside of combat, I am not afraid to resort to underhanded tactics," Bronzong stated, "That includes sneaking weapons into a match."

With that in mind, he wasted no time lifting up Sneasel. Gigalith's eyes widened with terror as he tucked her under his hole and up against his clapper. He then used the rope to expertly bind her up against it, his eyelids closed tight.

As it so happened, his eyes were wide enough to take up more than just the outside of his body. Thus when he rolled them back, he was able to see his insides and tie up Sneasel with ease.

Once he returned his eyes to their correct position, he had a big grin on his face as he said, "I wouldn't recommend hitting me, my rocky friend. You might just end up bringing harm to your ally," Gigalith trembling in horror. Even before Bronzong explained this, he already knew this to be true.

Meanwhile, despite things finally having taken a turn for the better with Venipede and Rinko, it seemed Jumpluff and Sunflora still had plenty of fight in them. As if that was not enough, the source of the cotton weed's high physical strength had been exposed, only making her look more intimidating.

"I've gotta hand it to you," Jumpluff stated with a smirk, "You've actually done a fairly good job staying alive. But admit it, if it hadn't been for your girlfriend, you would have lost too."

"Well, this is a team match," Venipede remarked as the cotton weed stared silently, uttering, "That's actually a good point."

She then cleared her throat and stated, "Either way, a few lucky shots won't win you this match! Now that my metallic gloves have been revealed, I'm gonna use them to defeat you, granted my honey doesn't need my help."

Sunflora gave her a sweet smile and replied, "Don't worry about me. This human may have caught me off guard, but there's no way in hell she'll get the better of me," Rinko narrowing her eyelids and retorting, "Let's see you perform well against me now that Jumpluff's worry seed has no effect on me."

"Oh, you haven't even seen all that I have to offer," Sunflora retorted as he shot beams of light from his mouth, this time growing his legs. As such, he leapt into the air and tilted his head sideways, wrapping the very parts he had grown around each other to form what looked like a screw.

"SUNFLOWER SCREWDRIVER!" he exclaimed as he spun his head, this time releasing air from his mouth thus creating a small twister. This allowed his entire body to spin along with his head as he descended toward Rinko.

Due to the increased speed caused by the twister, Rinko had little time to dodge as she took his feet to her gut. Since he had not made his body completely pointy, this had not put a hole in her, but it still hurt as she coughed up blood and fell on her back, Sunflora continuing to scrape his feet against her flesh with a wicked smile on her face.

All the while, Jumpluff was sending a barrage of punches at Venipede with all three of her hands, shouting, "THREE-ARMED RAPID FIRE!" the centipede using all six of his arms to defend himself.

While blocking the incoming punches was easy enough for him, due to the fact that Jumpluff was wearing gauntlets, it still hurt him. After enough hits, his arms started to come open as small bits of blood squirted out. And soon enough, this caused him to drop his guard as the cotton weed used the hand atop her head to punch him in the face, resulting in him coughing up the substance.

Things only got worse when Jumpluff took hold of two of his arms and his face. She then leapt into the air and leaned backward, barking, "THREE-ARMED SUPLEX!" planting his skull hard into the canvas thus drawing more blood.

But just as it seemed like neither hero stood a chance anymore, Sunflora's eyes widened as even Rinko could not believe what happened. More roots sprouted from her, only these ones emerged from her belly button and bound themselves to the sunflower's legs. This stopped him from spinning as he started to panic.

"What the hell's going on!?" he spat as Jumpluff turned her attention away from Venipede, letting out a gasp of horror as she thought, 'How is this happening!? The whole point of the worry seed is to inconvenience the target, not benefit them! Why is it doing this!?'

Whatever the case, Rinko decided not to question this as she smirked, seeing an opportunity. Jumpluff refused to let her take advantage of this as she charged toward her with all three fists raised. However, the brunette saw this coming as she rose to her feet and turned around, Sunflora's panic rising as he spat, "WAIT, HONEY, STOP!"

But it was too late as the cotton weed sent her lower fists into his gut and her upper fist into his head. As such, Sunflora's face was now stuck with the same expression as the roots released their hold on him, Rinko resting him on her shoulder once more and flying back with him. She then leaned backwards and exclaimed, "FLYING HAMMER!" planting the back of his head into the canvas, this time knocking him out for good as he coughed up a mixture of water and blood.

Jumpluff's eyes and mouth widened with terror as she spat, "OH MY GOD, I AM SO SORRY, HONEY! PLEASE FORGIVE ME!" before gritting her teeth at Rinko and growling, "You are going to pay for that, you stupid bitch!"

But just as she was ready to unleash another onslaught of punches, Venipede had used this time to recover. Thus he charged at her with his antennae glowing green and barked, "VENOSHOCK!" planting both parts into the cotton weed's shoulders.

She let out a loud cry of pain as his antennae had gone right through her flesh. He lifted her up and said, "Come on, Rinko, let's finish her off together," the brunette nodding and replying, "You bet."

With that, she leapt up toward Jumpluff and latched her legs around her midsection, forcing her back as she and Venipede exclaimed, "VENOSHOCK SUPLEX!" planting her back into the canvas as she coughed up blood, her eyes rolling to the back of her head.

All went silent as the heroes gazed down upon their opponents. However, after a while, it truly seemed like neither plant was going to move, thus their defeat was official. As such, the lovers breathed a simultaneous sigh of relief and took a seat.

"Well, that was probably our hardest battle yet, but we did it," Venipede said with an implied smiled as Rinko nodded, looking down and saying, "Though I'm kinda surprised the roots are still here."

"Well, don't forget," the centipede replied, "Gallador needed Garbodor's gas to get rid of his. I don't think just defeating her will do the trick."

The brunette shrugged and said, "Oh well. It hardly matters anyway. These roots actually saved my life. I don't know why they're working for me, but I actually have the powers of one of you guys now. That's awesome."

Venipede added, "At the very least, they make for some decent clothing, right?" the brunette nodding before sighing, "But seriously, thanks for the pep talk. Lord knows what would have happened to me if I'd stayed in that patch of flytraps."

She then scowled at the plants as they all whimpered in terror after seeing their 'mother' so badly beaten. Venipede implied a smile and patted her on the shoulder, saying, "Don't forget, we're in this together. I couldn't just sit back and allow you to let yourself die," the two sharing a kiss.

"Still, I wish that fight hadn't taken so much out of me," Rinko groaned, "I'd love to catch up with the others and help them out," Venipede shrugging and replying, "Well, don't forget, we're not the only badasses in this group. I'm sure they can handle themselves."

The brunette nodded and rested her head on the centipede's shoulder, both deciding to sit there for the time being. After all, the fight had been tough and they were exhausted.

Gigalith, however, did not have such good fortune as he had no choice but to stand still while Bronzong delivered a series of palm punches to his face. He had a big grin as he tauntingly exclaimed, "What's wrong, old bean!? Did you forget how to throw a punch!?"

The golem wanted so badly to fight back, but he could not run the risk of harming Sneasel. After all, the two had been best friends since long before they joined Tentacruel's posse. And after taking in the twentieth punch, the golem remembered their first meeting like it was yesterday.

Way back in Gigalith's hometown, Edmonton, he had always been a victim of bullying. While his build would have normally warded off people like this, the sad fact was that he was a pushover and everyone knew it.

One fine day, Sneasel had moved into town from Denmark and wound up in the same class as him in elementary school. Unlike the golem, however, she was tough and would use her claws to make sure no one ever messed with her.

After he first day, she was ready to head home when she noticed Gigalith being led somewhere with a beaver named Bidoof and the lynx, Luxio. As it so happened, these two were the biggest bullies in school, and while Sneasel did not know this, she was certainly suspicious.

She followed as quietly as she could before noticing them head all the way to the basketball court in the back. At that moment, Bidoof bit into Gigalith's arm while Luxio spun the star on the back of her tail like a shuriken, striking the golem repeatedly with it.

Before things could get worse, Sneasel sped into the scene and leapt toward the beaver, sending a flying kick into his face. Luxio was just about to respond only for the cat to deliver a hard punch to her forehead. And since her claws were sticking out when she did so, it dealt significantly more damage than a normal punch would have.

"Alright, what did my friend here do to piss you off so much!?" Sneasel snapped with a look of frustration, "Let me guess! He didn't do a thing and you just get some kind of satisfaction out of whaling on someone bigger than you who's too much of a wimp to fight back!"

Bidoof smirked and remarked, "What's it to you?" Luxio nodding and growling, "Stay out of our business, punk!"

Sneasel let out a sigh and turned to Gigalith, saying, "Today's the day you learn to stand up for yourself," the golem blinking as she added, "There's not much time. I may be skilled, but not even I can stand up to two super beings at once by myself."

Gigalith's eyes widened as Luxio leapt at Sneasel from behind with electricity coming from her fangs. Seeing this, he wasted no time reaching his arm around the cat thus taking the bite himself. And due to his strong forearms, this hardly dealt any pain to him as he lifted his arm up, sending it downward and slamming the lynx into the pavement.

Bidoof trembled and was about to flee for his life only for Sneasel to leap at him, wrapping her arms and legs around him. She then propelled herself high into the air before spinning around and shouting, "YARN BALL!" planting his skull into the cement.

This was just enough to knock them out cold, and since this had happened after school hours, neither got in trouble for it for the time being. Gigalith could not believe what he had just done, but Sneasel reassured him that this was the right thing to do. After all, Bidoof and Luxio had to be taught a lesson.

That was the moment where a big friendship blossomed between the two and it had lasted all these years. Gigalith would always do whatever Sneasel wanted as she had taught him to fight back whenever someone picked on him.

Unfortunately, because of this, the golem could not bring himself to harm the cat. Thus he saw little choice but to stand there and allow Bronzong to send more palm punches into him, though after a few seconds, he took a deep breath and said, "You know, this is rather underwhelming. I think I'll finish you off with something more advanced."

With that, the bell latched onto the golem's shoulders and reeled himself backward. He then smirked and sent his lower body into Gigalith's knees, causing him even more pain.

Things only got worse when Bronzong lifted Gigalith high above his head, placing his back against his crown. He also wrapped one arm around one of the golem's legs and the other around his neck, pulling tightly and shouting, "BELL TOWER CLUTCH!"

Gigalith's eyes were wide as he let down light tears. Right now, he felt like he had let everyone down. He was the only one who could fight Bronzong and yet here he was on the receiving end of a submission hold.

Seeing the tears falling before him, Bronzong let out a sigh and said, "Don't feel too bad, good sir. You have a good reason not to fight back. I'm sure if I had played fair, you would have bested me by now."

But just as all seemed lost, Sneasel let out a yawn as her eyes opened. However, they quickly widened as she found herself tied up in a dark space, uttering, "What the hell?"

Upon hearing this, Bronzong and Gigalith's eyes widened as the bell tried rocking back and forth in a vein attempt to tire her out. However, all this did was make her more alert as she spat, "HEY, CAN ANYONE HEAR ME!? WHERE AM I!?"

Bronzong's body vibrated thus causing him to loosen his hold on Gigalith. And after dropping the golem, he held onto his sides and uttered, "Can you please keep it down, madam?"

"Bronzong?" Sneasel uttered, "Where are you?" before noticing red spheres that resembled his eyes. She also turned her head just enough to see that she was tied to his clapper as she spat, "WHAT THE HELL!? AM I INSIDE OF YOU!?"

This caused the bell to shake all over as he took a deep breath, sighing, "Yes, okay, you are, indeed, tucked inside of my hollow self, okay? Technically, you're not in my bloodstream or belly if you will, but yes, in a matter of speaking, you're inside of me."

Gigalith tensed up as Sneasel groaned, "Oh, that's right. We all felt extremely tired after taking a sip of your tea," before hissing, "So help me god! Once I free myself, you're gonna pay!"

Bronzong tried his best not to let her yelling get to him a third time as he smirked, saying, "Don't bother. That rope is tougher than you think, and unless you can move those claws of yours, you won't free yourself. But don't take it too personally. I just needed you as a bartering chip to lower that rocky guy's guard."

"Wait, rocky guy?" Sneasel remarked, "You mean Gigalith," the golem stomping his foot a few times against the floor to show that he was, indeed, conscious right now, the cat gasping, "Of course! You can't eat or drink anything! That means you've been fighting Bronzong this whole time, haven't you?"

"Indeed, he has," the bell replied, "But now that you've been tied up, he can't bring harm to me without bringing harm to you. That's what I meant when I said I needed you as a bartering chip, you see."

"You asshole!" Sneasel growled as Bronzong sighed, "Such fowl language," only for Sneasel to bark, "Hey, Gigalith, you can still hear me, right!?"

The golem nodded and tapped his foot against the floor to let her know he could hear. As such, the cat let out a deep breath and said, "Look, man, you've known me long enough. You know that I can handle pain. If you let this oversized tower ornament win, he'll most likely kill everyone else in their sleep. Right now, I think the lives of our friends and the fate of the world itself are much more important than my health, don't you?"

Gigalith's eyes widened as Bronzong sighed, "Did you really have to compare me to an ornament?" the cat adding, "If anything, I would be more insulted if you held back than if you went all-out! I can take the heat! So for the love of god, don't allow this guy to win! Got it!?"

It took a few seconds for Sneasel's words to sink in, but ultimately, Gigalith realized she was right. As such, he put on a more serious look and raced toward Bronzong, striking his forehead with a clothesline. This caused the bell to fall on his back as the golem leapt into the air and sent his leg hard into his midsection.

Sneasel took in some slight pain from this as the bell's clapper swung around thus sending her belly into his body. But even so, she refused to let her friend know how much this hurt and thus she toughed it out, saying, "That's right. Keep it up."

With that, the golem lifted up Bronzong as the bell gasped, "Hold it, old bean! Think about what you're doing, how much this will hurt your friend!"

"Finish him!" Sneasel exclaimed as the golem nodded and fell backwards, planting Bronzong's back into the canvas. This seemed to be just enough as he closed his eyes, his movement coming to a halt.

With all said and done, Gigalith rose to his feet and wasted no time reaching under the bell, untying Sneasel. The cat smirked as she had a couple of light bruises on her, but nothing too serious. As such, she slugged the golem on the arm and said, "Good job, big guy."

All that remained was to wake up the others, and Gigalith did so by lifting up the unconscious Bronzong and rocking him back and forth. This caused him to ring loud enough to wake the others, though it took half-a-minute for it to work entirely.

"I'm up!" Vigoroth exclaimed as Eiko rubbed her eyes, yawning and groaning, "Why did we fall asleep?"

However, all became clear when they saw Bronzong not moving and being handled by Gigalith, Fletchinder sighing, "I can't believe I fell for that," Clawitzer groaning, "You're not alone."

During this time, Zygarde was fast asleep on a bed as Yveltal rubbed her claws lightly against his skin. This caused him to light up as Xerneas asked, "So, how long is this supposed to take again?"

"We'll need at least a few more hours," the bird replied with a sigh, "I really hope Volcanion's soldiers have at least managed to keep the other heroes at bay. I wish we had windows. At least then we could see what's going on outside."

Either way, with Zygarde coming close to adulthood, the heroes would have to hurry. After all, time was ticking and there were still five more villains to get through before they could even hope to face Yveltal and Xerneas.


	81. Chapter 81

While four of Volcanion's soldiers had been defeated, there were still quite a few left. Not only that, but the heroes would need to hurry if they were to stop Zygarde from reaching full power and helping Yveltal and Xerneas take over the world.

With that in mind, Eiko bit her lower lip and uttered, "We should probably get going now," Sneasel nodding and replying, "I agree. Bronzong did help us a bit by giving us more energy than we were looking for."

But just as the group was about to head out, Gigalith's eyes twitched as he knelt down on one knee, the cat turning to him and sighing, "Alright, big guy, you've been through a lot. We've all gotten a good rest. Now you need yours."

The golem shook his head as the others watched with concern. But before he could try to rise up, Sneasel patted him on the side and said, "Come on, Gigalith. You did a great job and defeated one of Yveltal and Xerneas' servants. You've done a good job. Now please rest. I know we've always done things together, but I'd much rather not have you strain yourself."

Gigalith nodded before taking a seat and giving her a thumb up. He was fully confident that if she fought a villain in the base, she would win for sure.

With all said and done, the group carried on, soon finding a staircase leading to the third floor. Though they would certainly need to pick up the pace. After all, Bronzong had cost them quite a bit of time.

Meanwhile, while Yveltal continued to work her magic on Zygarde, Machop's eyes slowly started to open. Xerneas rose an eyebrow as the girl smacked her lips, looking around before spotting the villain who had defeated her. Thus she raced forward only for her face to hit the side of the capsule.

"Hey, what the hell!?" she spat as she rammed her fist into it, barking, "Why won't this break!?"

"Hate to break it to you, but that capsule is made of tektites," Xerneas stated as she blinked and uttered, "Capsule?" suddenly noticing the bottom and the lid.

She then nodded and started beating her fists repeatedly against it, Xerneas sighing, "Tektites aren't ordinary glass. It takes a lot to break such a thing," as Machop gritted her teeth, growling, "Dammit!"

She then looked at Yveltal more and asked, "What the hell is going on here anyway?" Xerneas sighing, "If you must know, Zygarde is about to reach adulthood with the help of my darling wife. Soon enough, the whole world will be ours and you'll have no choice but to serve us if you value your life."

Machop blinked before smirking and remarking, "You can keep me in here all you like, but you're a moron if you think that's good enough. Trust me. My friends will come here soon enough and put a stop to this."

"About that," Yveltal chimed in, turning her attention away from Zygarde for the time being, "It seems that your friends have come here and are currently in my base. However, last I heard, one of them had been killed by one of our soldiers and I'm almost certain the others have likely met the same fate."

"Wait, what!?" Machop spat, her eyes and mouth wide with terror. There was no way this was true, was there?

Either way, even if she did believe this, there was nothing she could do. It was as Xerneas said. This capsule was made from a material that the girl could not break through. All she could do was hope that her friends would be able to make it and save her.

During this time, the others had made it to yet another room, and sure enough, there were already two villains waiting for them. One was a bee with three heads, all of them connected by what looked like a three-piece honeycomb. Her wings were connected to her cheeks and their abdomen was tall and slender. Two of the heads were next to each other on top, each with an antenna sticking out of its forehead. The lower head, located in between them, had a red spot on its forehead. Though while she had arms, she did not have any legs.

The other was an assortment of polygons with a pink body and blue belly. He also had a matching tail and nose and his feet were perfect triangular prisms, his arms rectangular while his hands resembled spherical clamps.

"Excellent, you made it!" the bee's lower head stated, "I was beginning to think you weren't good enough to get this far."

Sneasel frowned as Jackalu barked, "For your information, it'll take a lot more than a few villains to take us down!" Torchic nodding.

"Quite the mouth on that one," the polyhedron stated with a sigh while Clawitzer said, "They're just trying to get under our skin. Don't let it get to you."

"Fine," Jackalu grumbled as he folded his arms, Vigoroth grunting, "That hardly matters, anyway! Obviously, two of us are gonna have to stay here and fight these guys!"

"Oh, so that's how you managed to make it this far," the bee uttered as the polyhedron rested his hand under his chin and said, "Well, if we take on two of these heroes, assuming those humans can't stand up to the others, that leaves only four of them left to take on Froslass, Magcargo and Volcanion."

"Wait, so there's only three more of you guys left?" Torchic asked as the bee sighed, "Why did you say that out loud?" as her polygonal partner shrugged and replied, "It hardly matters. I highly doubt these four will be good enough for those three anyway."

Vigoroth gritted her teeth and was just about to challenge them when Jackalu stepped forward and said, "I'll fight you," Clawitzer stepping in and adding, "Me too."

"Are you sure about this?" Isamu asked, "These two don't look particularly threatening," only for Jackalu to reply, "First off, looks can be deceiving, but secondly, Clawitzer and I work really well as a team. For all we know, those last three might very well be guarding their own separate areas."

"He has a point there," Clawitzer added, "Trust me. We can handle this," as Vigoroth took a deep breath and nodded, saying, "Alright. Make sure they suffer."

With that, the others headed out of the room as the bee groaned, the polyhedron sighing, "It's fine. Besides, I feel honoured having these two as our opponents. After all, that dog is Jackalu, the son of Lucario and that pistol shrimp is so far the only one who's managed to defeat him in combat."

The bee blinked and nodded, feeling a touch better now. After all, to have a chance to defeat two with such amazing reputations was truly amazing to say the least.

With that in mind, the polyhedron pulled out a switch from seemingly nowhere and pressed it, bringing up a ring and leaping into it, asking, "How does a tornado tag match sound to you?" Jackalu shrugging and replying, "Sounds alright to me."

As the heroes leapt into the ring, the bee smirked as her lower head said, "By the way, we haven't introduced ourselves yet. We are the conjoined triplets, all of us known as Combee. And my partner here is Porygon," the polyhedron bowing and saying, "A pleasure to make your acquaintance."

Jackalu blinked and uttered, "A collection of polygons named Porygon," as Clawitzer held up a defensive stance and said, "Well, it seems you already know our names, so I guess we don't need to introduce ourselves, right?"

"Indeed," Porygon replied with an implied smile, "Also, you're right not to take us lightly, Jackalu. I can be quite intimidating myself, but Combee here has been craving this kind of action for years."

The bee nodded and sighed, "Well, as awesome as this is, I'm still mad at Yveltal for defeating Machop instead of us. But then again, Lucario was a really good friend of Machoke, so taking it out on his son is satisfying enough!"

Jackalu blinked and uttered, "I have a funny feeling there's more to this than just Machop's reputation," as Combee nodded and said, "You'd better believe it. Her father ruined my mother's life back in the day. She can't even show her face anymore! That's how bad it got!"

All went silent until Clawitzer sighed, "Look, there are a lot of villains out there who want Machop's head for something one of her family members did. Can you be more specific?" as Porygon replied, "If you must know, Combee's mother fought Machoke and his personal trainer during the Ultimate World Team Tournament semi-finals. I believe you've heard of that."

"Oh yeah, lots of people know about that," Jackalu replied, "A villain named Vespiquen snuck her way into the tournament and brainwashed Smeargle, turning him into a powerhouse in the process. Though from what I can gather, no one even knew she was a villain until she attacked an innocent bystander, so I fail to see how her not being able to show her face is Machoke's fault."

"Wait, so you're telling me she's spent all these years in hiding?" Clawitzer asked as Combee nodded, her lower head growling, "You are right in that her loss to Machoke didn't exactly ruin her life, but it was the first step towards that."

Porygon nodded and stated, "As you can see, my partner here is out for blood, and since Machop is unable to fight any of us, you two will do nicely."

Jackalu did not feel the least bit intimidated by this as he nodded to Clawitzer, the shrimp giving him her short claw up. She then proceeded to fling herself toward Combee with her claw out, latching it onto her neck and swinging her body around. Neither villain was able to react as Porygon took a two-legged roundhouse to his midsection, Clawitzer releasing her hold on the bee and lifting up her arm.

"CRABHAMMER!" she spat as she sent it hard into his chest, Jackalu flying toward a Combee while she tried her hardest to rub the pain off of her neck. However, she would certainly need to act fast as the dog latched his legs into her lower head, leaning backward and lifting her up. And sure enough, the bee was unable to respond as her top heads were slammed into the canvas.

But while Porygon had showed signs of pain in response to Clawitzer's attack, Combee did not seem to feel a thing. As such, she smirked and used this opportunity to take hold of Jackalu's ankles, pulling back thus causing him to trip and land on his chin.

She then righted herself up before flying over Jackalu as all three heads smirked, the bee exclaiming, "FELL STINGER!" descending into his back as he cried out in pain.

Clawitzer gasped upon hearing this as she turned toward the two. This was just the distraction Porygon needed as he propelled himself up and planted his feet into her back. Thus the shrimp faltered forward as the polyhedron barked, "Now, Combee!"

"Of course," the bee said with a wicked smirk, turning to the shrimp and shouting, "ATTACK FORCE!" all three heads jutting forward and striking her in the face.

Clawitzer's eyes widened as she had already coughed up blood, and things only got worse as the heads continued to shoot forward like machine gun bullets. The only difference was that now the heads were moving in different directions, thus allowing the bee to hit more than just the face.

Jackalu wanted so desperately to help out, but as soon as he rose to his feet, Porygon dashed in front of him and took hold of his wrists. Despite the hands not being actual clamps, the spikes had no effect on him. Thus the dog was unable to react in time to avoid being reeled in, Porygon ramming his skull into his chin.

Things only got more complicated as Porygon said, "By the way, I have a very special talent that you're going to love. CONVERSION!" his body turning yellow as his structure changed.

Now his tail was shaped more like a lightning bolt as he had sprouted a pair of cones on his head that were meant to resemble ears. His hands also became more normal, now having five rectangular fingers each as opposed to two big ones.

"What the hell?" Jackalu uttered as Porygon exclaimed, "ZAP CANNON!" electricity surrounding his nose as he sent it forward into the dog's skull, electricity coursing through him as he cried out in agonizing pain.

Clawitzer grunted as Combee put her assault on hold, saying, "As much as I love using that move, it takes quite a lot out of me. But luckily, I have plenty more in store," before flying at the shrimp and striking her in the neck with her arm.

Clawitzer refused to let this get to her as she ignored the pain, wrapping her right arm around Combee's back before planting her left claw into her gut. She then smiled and said, "Sorry to disappoint, but I need to help my partner."

She then proceeded to leap into the air, shouting, "VICE LANCE SUPLEX!" only for Combee to started flapping her wings, slowing down her descent with a smirk on her face.

"I'm the one who should apologize for wasting your efforts," Combee scoffed, "But I'd rather not," before using all her might to flip herself one-hundred-and-eighty degrees. Due to her thin structure, that had taken quite a bit out of her, but she still managed to pull it off as she descended toward the mat, Clawitzer's head making with the mat.

Jackalu wanted so badly to help out, but he was currently trapped in Porygon's grip. As if that was not enough, the polyhedron had sparks flying from him, electricity coursing through the dog's veins.

However, he realized he could not allow himself to be beaten this easily as he gritted his teeth, barking, "ALRIGHT, THAT'S IT! IT'LL TAKE MORE THAN A LITTLE ELECTRICITY TO DEFEAT ME!"

He then used all his might to lean backward, planting his foot into Porygon's gut thus causing him to release his hold and fly toward Combee. The bee's eyes widened as the polyhedron was still emitting sparks, thus when he made contact with her, she wound up taking in even more pain as all six of her eyes widened. And with that, she fell on her back with her partner on top of her.

After a few seconds, though, Porygon ended his assault and rose to his feet, gasping, "I'm so sorry, Combee! Are you okay!?" Clawitzer slowly getting up and rubbing her skull, groaning, "Dammit. She's a lot tougher than she looks."

"Don't dwell on that," Jackalu replied with a grin as he ran next to her, "We got up an opportunity here," the shrimp nodding and leaping up as the dog took hold of her legs. He then lifted her up as she rose her claw in the air, the two shouting, "CRAB GAVEL!"

Thus Jackalu threw his arms downward, sending the claw hard into Porygon's back. This dealt a little bit of pain to Combee at the same time, though both chose to ignore this as the polyhedron threw his arm back, sending it into Clawitzer's cheek.

Jackalu wound up releasing his hold on the shrimp as she rolled away, rising to her feet. The dog blinked and asked, "You alright?" as Clawitzer gave him her small claw up and replied, "Compared to everything else I've taken in so far, that was nothing."

Even so, it was hard to ignore the fact that Porygon and Combee had risen to their feet, the polyhedron sighing, "Alright, I'm mildly annoyed now," as the bee growled, "Dammit! I was actually having fun!"

However, Porygon took a deep breath and said, "It's okay, Combee. Don't forget, not only are you incredibly strong, but I have far more abilities at my disposal."

He then spread his arms out and shouted, "CONVERSION!" his shape becoming more like that of a serpent dragon as his body turned red.

Jackalu blinked and pointed at the polyhedron, Clawitzer saying, "I get it. That conversion ability allows him to take on a different type of fighter. That last one was Electric, so I'm guessing he's just become a fire type."

"Oh, you went and spoiled it," Porygon groaned, "I was hoping that you'd question the ability at first and then I'd get to explain it to you," as Jackalu blinked and uttered, "Why were you expecting that?"

Either way, the polyhedron cleared his throat and replied, "Either way, yes, you are correct, and you should know the kinds of abilities I have obtained from this form."

With that in mind, he unleashed a blast of fire from his mouth as Jackalu and Clawitzer barely dodged. However, this was just the distraction Porygon needed as he leapt toward them with his arms out, lighting them on fire and ramming them into the heroes' necks.

Both gagged in response to this, falling on their backs while light burns formed on the spots that had been hit. Combee took full advantage of this as she said, "Let's see you get up after taking this move a second time," lifting up Jackalu and placing him on top of Clawitzer.

"Hey, Porygon, let's do this the same way Hoopa and Diancie did to their parents in the Ultimate World Team Tournament!" Combee squealed as the polyhedron nodded and replied, "Oh, that sounds positively delightful."

With that, he spat, "CONVERSION!" and thus changed himself into a white polygonal falcon. Combee then fluttered over the heroes as Porygon flew over her, planting his talons into her shoulder while both exclaimed, "FELL STINGER METEOR!"

Jackalu managed to recover too late to avoid taking the stinger to his gut as he coughed up blood, Clawitzer succumbing to a light jab herself due to said the weapon going all the way through the dog. As if that was not enough, it looked as if Jackalu might have been finished as his body twitched, his tongue hanging out the side of his mouth while Combee removed her stinger.

"As satisfying as that was, I was hoping he would last a little bit longer," the bee said with a snicker as Jackalu fell sideways off of Clawitzer, the shrimp slowly rising to her feet and staring down at him with concern, uttering, "Are you okay?"

However, the dog seemed unable to move even a little bit as Clawitzer's eyes narrowed. She then turned to face the villains and spat, "Don't look so confident! It'll take a lot more than that to defeat Jackalu for good! In a few seconds, he'll be back up and ready for more, but until then, I'll just have to keep you busy!"

Porygon shrugged and remarked, "Whatever. You may be strong against single opponents, but can you honestly expect to keep up with two adversaries at once?"

"Well, I seemed to be able to at the start of the match," the shrimp retorted as she leapt toward the two with her arms spread out. Her right claw was aimed at Combee while her left was directed toward Porygon.

However, it seemed the polygon had a solution to this as he exclaimed, "CONVERSION!" transforming into a grey golem while Combee ducked down.

But just as it seemed like Clawitzer's move would fail for sure, she spun herself around, thus switching the targets of her claws. She also had her big claw high enough to hit Porygon's face and her small one low so it would hit Combee.

"DOUBLE CRABHAMMER HANDLE!" she exclaimed as both parts rammed into the villains' faces. As such, Porygon felt just enough pain to back up and rub that very spot while Combee wound up falling on her back.

Things only got better when Clawitzer spun her body around again, this time ramming her right claw into the bee's gut. This caused her to cough up a bit of green blood as the shrimp leapt away from her, breathing heavily with a look of satisfaction on her face.

And as if things could not get better, this provided just enough of a distraction for Jackalu to recover from the damage dealt earlier. Thus he propelled himself up with his hands and landed perfectly on his feet, breathing heavily with terror in his expression.

"Oh my god!" he exclaimed, "I thought I died!" as Clawitzer rolled her eyes and patted him on the shoulder, saying, "It's okay. You're fine now."

Porygon and Combee both glared at their opponents, the polyhedron sighing, "I knew they were going to be tough, but I didn't think it would be this hard," the bee saying, "Even so, you saw how close we came back there. I'm sure if we manage to catch them off guard again, our victory will be guaranteed."

Jackalu and Clawitzer did not seem to think so as both were much more confident. After all, there was no way they would allow these two to win and hunt the others down, especially when the group needed to deal with all of Yveltal and Xerneas' followers as soon as possible.


	82. Chapter 82

While Jackalu and Clawitzer's match with Porygon and Combee took place, the others were getting close when they entered another room with a snail made entirely out of what looked like grey rock. His eyes were yellow and oval-shaped and his shell had a streak of fire leaking out of its side.

Upon seeing the group, he narrowed his eyelids and said, "So, you actually made it this far. I have to admit, I'm impressed," folding his arms, "I am Magcargo, master of lava! Who dares challenge me!?"

Before anyone else could volunteer, Vigoroth smirked and pounded her fist against her palm, saying, "Sorry, guys, but I've been itching for some action since we started this whole ordeal," the others nodding as Fletchinder folded her arms, sighing, "Alright, I'm totally fighting the next one."

Sneasel nodded before exclaiming, "Do the best you can, Vigoroth!" as Eiko and Isamu nodded.

But just as the group was about to head off, Magcargo narrowed his eyelids and said, "I don't think so," pulling out a switch and pressing a button. The room started to vibrate as Sneasel uttered, "What the hell?" Eiko looking up and squeaking, "Oh no! Look!"

It was at this moment when everyone noticed huge drain pipes sticking out of the walls near the ceiling. And their reason for being there was soon made clear as magma started to leak out of them, hitting the floor and spreading.

"Wait, what!?" Vigoroth spat, her eyes wide with terror, "Hey, this isn't fair!" as Magcargo replied, "Hold on," pulling out a remote control and pressing a few buttons.

As a result, certain sections of the floor rose up, including the areas where the heroes and their human companions stood. As a result, the magma did not harm them, though they were low enough for small amounts of it to occasionally rise up and touch the edges much like water on a beach.

Eiko trembled and held onto Isamu as he patted her shoulder, trying to maintain a calm attitude. However, it seemed their fear was for nought as Fletchinder smiled and said, "Don't worry. I'll fly you over to the exit," pointing toward said area as they noticed the floor in front of it had also been risen.

Vigoroth blinked as Magcargo sighed, "If you must know, I rose that up to avoid having magma seep throughout the entire third floor. After all, one of my partners is on standby and she wouldn't like having scorching hot liquid in her chambers."

The sloth smirked and remarked, "Well, too bad your plan to keep my friends from leaving has failed," as Fletchinder lifted her friends up two-by-two and carried them over to the exit, allowing them to leave.

But just as they set foot outside of the room, Torchic noticed the robin was not following them as she turned and asked, "You coming?"

Fletchinder shook her head and replied, "As you can plainly see, I can fly. I'm a tad worried that if Vigoroth loses, that guy will probably try to toss her into the magma. As such, I think it would be a good idea for me to be on standby to rescue her if that happens."

The chicken blinked and thought about this before nodding and replying, "You're right. We wouldn't wanna lose another friend," the robin taking a deep breath and smiling, giving her a thumb up.

Watching this, Magcargo narrowed his eyelids and thought, 'This didn't go quite as planned, but that's okay. At least I can take down two of them. Though I wish I could just kill all of them at once,' gritting his teeth.

Before he could think about more, Vigoroth struck a fighting pose and asked, "You ready?" the snail nodding as the sloth grinned, racing toward him and sending a hard punch into his face, the tops of her claws only adding to the damage.

Magcargo gritted his teeth before sending a punch of his own forward. However, the sloth easily dodged to the side and took hold of his arm, tripping him with one leg and knocking him on his chin, pulling on his arm with both hands while applying the rest of her weight to his shell.

Fletchinder folded her arms with a smirk and said, "Not bad," as Vigoroth said, "Just to let you know, I'm a lot tougher than my build would have you believe."

Magcargo took a deep breath and replied, "I can see that," as small cracks started to form on his arm. And when Vigoroth saw this, she was both shocked and confused. After all, it was a well known fact that golems did not crack nearly as easily as normal rock, and those were already hard to break open. Was Magcargo's body really this weak?

Either way, the snail refused to let this work as he started whistling what sounded like an Arabian melody. Vigoroth's eyes widened as the fire leaking from his shell started to move like a snake, shifting toward her. With this in mind, the sloth leapt off of Magcargo and breathed a sigh of relief.

Fletchinder nodded and thought, 'Good. I didn't have to point that out to her,' as the sloth waited for the snail to rise to his tail. And when he did so, she wasted no time leaping toward him with her arm out, ramming it into his neck as more cracks formed.

"I have to admit, I'm kinda disappointed," Vigoroth said with a smirk before shouting, "FURY PUNCHES!" sending a barrage of rapid punches into his face.

This caused even more cracks to appear as Fletchinder rose her eyebrow. She then realized why Magcargo's body was so weak when a small fraction fell clean off, revealing a tiny bit of what looked like bright red flesh.

A smirk crossed her face as she exclaimed, "HEY, VIGOROTH, KEEP IT UP! HE HAS ACTUAL FLESH UNDER THAT EXTERIOR!" Magcargo's eyes widening as Vigoroth blinked and nodded in understanding, a grin forming.

"You know, the next time you decide to give yourself armour, maybe you should make it stronger," Vigoroth said tauntingly as the snail narrowed his eyelids, barking, "NO!" sending his arms toward her.

However, the sloth leapt back just in time to avoid being grabbed and reached her own arms forward, planting her claws into his shoulders. She then lifted him up, leaned backward and shouted, "SLOTH SUPLEX!" planting his head into the floor.

She then released her hold as his entire rocky torso was cracked, his shell being the only part not to take damage. And soon enough, the material started to flake off as Magcargo trembled, uttering, "No! Dammit! I thought for sure this would work!"

Soon enough, the entire cover fell off to reveal that his body was made of a red liquid, big droplets hanging from his cheeks. But while this hardly looked that threatening at first, Vigoroth's eyes widened when one droplet fell to the floor, emitting a small bit of smoke.

Even Fletchinder had to admit this did scare her to a certain degree, though not so much because she feared having to fight Magcargo. If anything, she was more concerned for Vigoroth.

The sloth blinked and uttered, "Your body's not actually made of magma, is it?" as Magcargo gritted his teeth, his eye twitching as he spat, "FINE, NOW YOU KNOW! I guess it's my fault for not putting more time and effort into my armour!"

Vigoroth was confused until he sighed, "Oh well. The important thing is getting the job done, and now that my real body's been exposed, I can use my signature moves."

Now the sloth was terrified as he raced toward her with his arms spread out. And when he got close enough, he threw them downward in a sideways motion, rubbing his palms against her and shouting, "INCINERATE!"

This not only caused Vigoroth more pain than if any other opponent had used it, but it also lit her fur on fire as she cried out in horror, patting herself repeatedly until the flames died. However, her fear only heightened when Magcargo glided toward her again. But just as she was about to try and counter with her claws, she remembered that doing so would involve her touching boiling hot magma.

As little as Fletchinder showed it, she cared about her allies. As such, she gritted her teeth and snapped, "VIGOROTH, JUST SURRENDER! I CAN TAKE IT FROM HERE!"

As much as it pained the sloth to even think of surrendering, she realized that she could no longer bring harm to this opponent. But just as she was about to agree, Magcargo caught up with her and bound her in place with his arms, exclaiming, "No! I will not accept a mere victory! I intend to kill you!"

With that, he proceeded to leap high into the air, Vigoroth unable to do a thing. While Magcargo's body did not quite have the intensity of the normal magma surrounding the area, it was still beyond painful just to be near him.

Magcargo flipped Vigoroth upside-down and descended toward the floor, shouting, "VOLCANO DRIVER!" planting her skull hard into the surface as her eyes rolled to the back of her head. Thus the snail released his hold and allowed her to collapse, taking many deep breaths before turning toward his magma pool, fully intending to toss her into it.

But before he could do so, Fletchinder wasted no time spreading her wings and flying toward the area, shouting, "OH NO YOU DON'T!" before lighting her arm on fire and sending it into Magcargo's neck, barking, "FLAME STEALTH BOMBER!"

Magcargo's eyes widened as not only did this knock him down, but Fletchinder had shown no signs of pain whatsoever. Touching the magma had put a slight burn on her arm, but it was nowhere near as bad as the burns Vigoroth had on her after being rubbed.

With that in mind, the robin lifted the sloth up and flew her over to the exit, carrying her outside and dropping her on the floor. Magcargo slowly rose back to his feet, gritting his teeth and Fletchinder returned, landing in front of him and folding her arms, saying, "Alright, you've managed to beat one of us, but don't think it's over just yet. You still have me to deal with."

Magcargo narrowed his eyelids and thought, 'Of course, she's a fire type. It only makes sense that she'd have a decent resistance to heat. But that hardly matters. She still took in some damage from my body, so I can win this.'

During this time, Porygon and Combee were ready to get their advantage back as the polyhedron exclaimed, "CONVERSION!" shifting from a grey polygonal golem to a blue tortoise.

"You ready, Combee?" he asked as the bee smirked and replied, "You'd better believe it!"

With that, the polyhedron fired a blast of water from his mouth toward the heroes. Combee then proceeded to lay her back on it, flying toward Jackalu and shouting, "STINGER TORPEDO!"

Jackalu panicked until Clawitzer leapt in the way, blocking the incoming water with her claws. However, when Combee closed in, her singer pierced through the big claw, Clawitzer's eyes widening as she could not help but think of what would have happened if that hit either her or Jackalu's forehead.

Even so, she ignored the small bit of blood dripping from her claw as Porygon ended his water assault so he could catch his breath. The shrimp then lifted up her arm along with the bee, slamming her back into the canvas.

Jackalu gave Clawitzer a thumb up and raced toward Porygon. Seeing this, the polyhedron panicked as a scarlet aura surrounded the dog's paw. And once he was close enough, he exclaimed, "FORCE PALM!" sending his palm hard into Porygon's face.

It did not end there as he leapt up with his knees tucked inward and exclaimed, "MOON SOMERSAULT!" flipping his body backwards while scraping his foot spikes against the sides of Porygon's belly.

The polyhedron cried out in pain as he prepared himself to shoot more water from his mouth. However, Jackalu easily saw this coming as he leaned backward just far enough for the liquid to fly over him. Thus the dog took full advantage of this and sent a hard kick into Porygon's midsection.

While this went on, Clawitzer rose her claw in the air after prying it out of Combee's stinger. She then sent it hard into her skull and exclaimed, "CRABHAMMER!"

Unfortunately, Combee seemed to take in no pain from this as she smirked and said, "Didn't hurt," Clawitzer's eyes wide with horror as the bee proceeded to stretch all three of her heads in and out like bullets firing from a machine gun, shouting, "ATTACK FORCE!"

Much like before, Clawitzer wound up taking in a great deal of pain as she succumbed to an onslaught of headbutts. After twenty hits, she coughed up a bit of blood as she tried to back up only for Combee to take hold of her wrists, trapping her in place.

Jackalu was in the middle of laying more hits upon Porygon when he noticed this, his eyes wide with terror. But before he could step in and help, the polyhedron took full advantage of this, shouting, "CONVERSION!" and taking the form of a walking tree.

In mere seconds, the dog found himself trapped in place when Porygon formed vines from the leaves atop his head, latching two onto his neck, four onto his arms and six onto his legs. He then lifted Jackalu up and exclaimed, "VINE BACKBREAKER!" pulling hard on all five parts as the dog cried out in pain.

Combee continued her assault until Porygon exclaimed, "Quick, Combee! Take advantage of this!" the bee ending her attack and turning with a grin on all three faces.

Luckily for her, Clawitzer was too dazed after the onslaught to take advantage of this. As such, Combee latched onto her shoulders and flew backwards toward the male fighters. She then flipped herself far enough so the shrimp's belly was facing Jackalu's.

Porygon and Combee shouted, "VINE OKLAHOMA STAMPEDE!" as Clawitzer made contact with Jackalu, the area right below her neck making light contact with the chest spike. It was fortunate that her outer shell was hard otherwise this would have had far worse results.

Even so, both heroes coughed up blood as a result of the attack while Combee released her hold on Clawitzer, allowing her to roll to the side and land on her back. Porygon smirked and threw Jackalu to the mat, reverting to his original form and saying, "I have to say, we make for a pretty kickass team, don't we?"

Combee nodded and said, "Not gonna lie, that was satisfying. Guess we may as well finish what we started, though, right?" the polyhedron nodding as he took the form of a light-green scorpion.

He then proceeded to lift up Clawitzer by the arms, readying his tail to strike her chest while Combee hovered over Jackalu with her stinger at the ready. She then exclaimed, "FELL STINGER!" as Porygon exclaimed, "POISON STING!"

But just as they were seconds away from piercing the heroes, both regained consciousness as Clawitzer sent a kick into Porygon's gut, providing just enough force to get him to release his hold on her. Jackalu, meanwhile, rolled out of the way as Combee's stinger made contact with the ring, the bee now stuck in the material.

Both villains stared at their respective opponents with their eyes wide open, Clawitzer leaping toward Porygon and shouting, "CRABHAMMER HANDLE!" ramming her big claw sideways into his neck.

Jackalu, all the while, pierced Combee's shoulders with his wrist spikes. He then pried her stinger out of the mat, shouting, "SPIKE SUPLEX!" leaning backward and planting her skull into the canvas.

However, it seemed their comeback did not last as Porygon prevented himself from falling on his back with the help of his scorpion tail. And before Clawitzer could respond, he sent a hard uppercut into her gut, shifting into his electric form and covering his body in electricity. As such, the shrimp took in the element and cried out in agonizing pain.

As if that was not enough, Combee felt no pain to her skull as she took hold of Jackalu's ankles. She then pulled backward thus causing him to fall on his chin before rising up and hovering over his back. She took hold of his wrists and and exclaimed, "TORTURE PIERCE!" planting her stinger hard into his back as he coughed up a bit of blood.

When Combee removed her stinger, the dog still had a bit of consciousness left. However, it seemed as if Porygon's electric punch had dealt more harm to Clawitzer than expected, the shrimp unable to respond as the polyhedron changed into his red dragon form. He then flew high into the air and flipped himself over, Jackalu shouting, "NO!" only for Combee to shout, "FELL STINGER!" piercing his back again.

The dog felt so helpless as Porygon exclaimed, "DRAGON DRIVER!" planting Clawitzer's skull into the canvas and releasing his hold, allowing her to collapse.

The shrimp passed out, her eyes closed as Jackalu gritted his teeth, his blood boiling now. Thus he ignored all the pain dealt to his back and threw his arms up, planting his wrist spikes into Combee's waist. Her eyes widened as she cried out in pain. This allowed the dog to easily pry her stinger out of him and throw his arms forward, planting her face into the canvas.

"It took me a while to figure it out," he grunted as Porygon flew toward him only to receive a roundhouse to his face, "The first time, I thought you were just ignoring the pain, but now it's clear to me that your middle head is the only one that's conscious. Those other heads act more like a helmet and take in damage for you."

Combee's eyes widened as she grunted, "So you figured it out! Big deal!" but just as she was about to rise, it seemed Jackalu had something else in mind as he took hold of her wrists and said, "Let's see how you like the taste of your own medicine."

He then shifted his feet backwards so his spikes were aimed at her back and barked, "ADAIR SLASHER!" planting them into the bee and sliding them downwards, putting two big cuts on her as she cried out in agonizing pain.

Porygon stared in horror as Jackalu breathed a sigh of relief and smirked at him, saying, "Now we're both down to one," only for Clawitzer to slowly rise to her feet, grunting, "What do you mean only one? Did you honestly think a bit of electricity was enough to take me down?"

A big smile formed on the dog's face as he exclaimed, "Alright, now we can finish this together!" as Porygon spat, "OH NO YOU DON'T! CONVERSION!"

However, since he was in a state of panic, he could not decide on a form and thus reverted back to his normal appearance. As such, he was unable to defend himself as Clawitzer leapt at him from behind, wrapping her big claw around his neck while planting her small one into his back.

Jackalu jumped toward the polyhedron, tucking his legs under his chin and reaching them all the way around. With that, Clawitzer leapt high above the ring and flipped upside-down, Jackalu lifting his body up and wrapping his arms around Porygon from the front, planting his chest spike into him.

"VICE LANCE EMBRACE!" the heroes shouted as the polyhedron's head made contact with the mat, his eyes rolling to the back of his head.

Jackalu and Clawitzer released their hold on Porygon and allowed him to collapse. They took many deep breaths, looking at their opponents to make sure this was enough and after half-a-minute, there was no doubt in their minds that they had won.

Upon seeing this, the heroes grinned at one-another, Clawitzer even managing to show small teeth under her mouth. Jackalu whipped out a dog biscuit seemingly out of nowhere, Clawitzer following it up with a bag of dry seaweed. The two then spun their respective foods like batons and chimed, "Victory Dance!"

With that, the two performed a brief dance number while singing, "When you're feeling down and need to lose that frown, try our favourite foods, they're tasty-licious!" bumping shoulders and winking for no real reason.

However, their good mood came to a halt as that number alone seemed to take quite a bit out of them, Jackalu sighing, "Darn. I was hoping after this, we could catch up with the others and help out," Clawitzer nodding and replying, "Same here. But honestly, I'm not worried. I know they can do this."

The dog nodded and rested his head on the shrimp's shoulder, falling asleep almost instantly. Clawitzer rolled her eyes and rested her arm around his shoulder, dozing off herself. Though deep down, she really hoped the others could make it to Yveltal and Xerneas' quarters and stop them.

But while things had ultimately turned out well for Jackalu and Clawitzer, there was still Fletchinder's match with Magcargo. And with one soldier along with Volcanion left, one could only guess if Sneasel and Torchic would make it.


	83. Chapter 83

During Jackalu and Clawitzer's match with Porygon and Combee, Fletchinder performed fairly well against Magcargo as she sent a roundhouse into his cheek, shouting, "ROUNDHOUSE INFERNO!"

The snail's body singed her heel lightly, but due to her fire attributes, it did not deal too much damage. As such, she ignored it and sent another kick into the same spot, distancing herself before he could retaliate.

Magcargo frowned and watched the robin's movements, waiting for just the right moment. He found one when she soared toward him with her beak pointed right at him, fire engulfing her body as she exclaimed, "FLAME MISSILE!"

Just as she was close to hitting him, the snail knelt down as his entire body shifted into his shell. Fletchinder narrowed her eyelids and thought, 'Please. If that shell is anywhere near as weak as the coating her was wearing before, this will be easy.'

But as she made contact, her eyes widened as not only did she inflict no damage to the material whatsoever, the collission dealt pain to her beak. And things only got worse when Magcargo started to whistle an Arabian melody, the fire leaking from his shell rising up like a snake just like when he attempted this against Vigoroth.

Fletchinder had just regained focus, but it was too late as the fire formed a snake-like head and bit into her ankle. And since the flame had managed to touch her for more than a millisecond, she felt slight pain from this as she winced, a look of frustration on her face.

Things only got worse as Magcargo emerged from his shell and lifted her higher into the air, exclaiming, "SNAKE FIRE SLAM!" sending her back hard into the floor.

"I'll admit, the fact that you can resist my magma is impressive," Magcargo stated before taking hold of Fletchinder's wings, "But even so, it seems like you can still take pain from heat. You just need to be exposed to it long enough, and I know just the way to make that happen."

He then lifted her over his head and leaned backwards, planting her skull into his shell while barking, "BRITTLE SUPLEX!" the robin crying out in pain as the snail released his hold on her wings, allowing her to collapse.

"By the way, if you're wondering why my armour earlier was significantly weaker, it's because I've had more time to work on my shell," Magcargo stated, "See, that armour wasn't made of rock but from hardened, brittle magma. But while Earth magma can harden really quickly, my Martian magma does not. In other words, if I had kept that coating for more than a month, it would have been just as hard as my shell. Maybe then could I finally interact with others without repelling them!"

Fletchinder grunted and slowly rose to her feet, giving him a look of confusion. Where had this come from? He had no reason to explain this to her and yet he was doing it anyway.

It seemed the snail realized this himself as he blinked, shaking his head and grunting, "Dammit! I forgot to take advantage of your state!" the robin frowning and taking to the sky, saying, "As if I'd let you toss me into boiling hot magma! I may be able to handle a few seconds of your heat, but I'd rather not take my chances with that!"

She then readied herself for another attack only for Magcargo to retreat into his shell again. The robin halted her attack and kept her distance, thinking, 'Alright, I'll just stay airborne until you reveal yourself. My dad didn't raise a dummy. We learn from watching our opponents.'

Meanwhile, the others were closing in on the staircase when suddenly, they entered a room covered in ice. Eiko squeaked in panic and slipped, sliding forward only for Isamu to take hold of her collar, stopping her in place.

"Thanks," she sighed as Torchic uttered, "Something tells me our next opponent put all this ice here."

"Right you are," came a delicate feminine tone as a snow-white girl moved away from the right wall and floated toward the group.

Her torso resembled a kimono and had a big red obi tied around it, the girl possessing no feet like Combee. Her thin arms were attached to the sides of her head and seemed to flare up around the wrist area, forming what looked like the hanging sleeves one would see on an actual kimono. On the ends of the flared portions were dappled light-blue sections and each hand had three tiny fingers. The girl's head was shaped like a sideways droplet and was topped with two ice crystals that resembled horns. It seemed that she was wearing a mask as on her forehead was a diamond-shaped hole, revealing purple skin underneath. Her chin matched the colour and there were also two holes revealing blue eyes with a yellow sclera for each.

"Welcome to my domain," the white girl said with a bow, "I am Froslass. It is a pleasure to meet you."

Torchic held a defensive stance and said, "Careful. She may seem more civilized than the others, but so did Bronzong."

"Oh, do not worry about that," Froslass replied with a sweet smile, "Unlike Bronzong, I will not try to lower your guard with the offer of nourishment. I prefer to cut to the chase, so I'll wait until one of you is ready to challenge me."

With that, she released a small icy breath from her mouth, aiming it for the middle of the area. This caused a big block of ice with a turnbuckle and what constituted as ropes to appear. Seeing this made Eiko worried as she uttered, "Oh no. That looks like the worst kind of ring to fight in."

"I'm pretty sure it is," Torchic grumbled, "But I'm sure we can do it. Something worth note is that in the twentieth Hero Olympics, Machamp fought the mighty Greninja in the second round, but it wasn't an ordinary match as they had to fight in a ring covered in ice. It was said that Greninja easily adapted to the fighting conditions while Machamp had lots of trouble, but despite that, he still wound up victorious. I'm sure if he could handle it, so can we."

Isamu blinked and uttered, "Wow, the Mach family just continued to impress me," as Sneasel stepped forward and smirked, saying, "I'll take her."

Torchic blinked and uttered, "What?" as the cat nodded and added, "If anything, you should be the one who saves Machop, so let me deal with this."

She then leapt into the ring as Froslass bowed her head, saying, "My, how noble of you. But as much as it pains me to do this, and really, it does, I simply cannot allow you to leave this room without first defeating me."

With that, the white girl blew her cold air toward the exit, a wall of ice forming as Eiko squeaked in panic, Isamu growling, "Dammit! Now we have no choice but to stand around and wait!"

Torchic smirked and remarked, "Or do we?" before leaping toward the wall with her talons on fire. But when they made contact with the material, it seemed her flames had no effect as Froslass sighed, "I'm sorry, but my ice only melts when I want it to. And speaking of which..."

Sneasel's eyes widened when Froslass blew more wind around the surrounding area, forming a big block of ice around the ring and saying, "Just in case your friend there tries to interfere and help you. After all, there's no one around to stop you from breaking the rules, right?"

While Torchic likely would not have done this, Sneasel still felt a tad distressed by this. After all, she currently felt like she was fighting in a prison and that her freedom depended on her winning.

Since this ice was transparent, the others could see her through it but could not hear the words being spoken. As such, Eiko bit her lower lip and whimpered, "I hope she'll be okay."

"Hey, don't worry about it," Isamu replied with a sweet smile, "We've seen how tough Sneasel is. There's no doubt in my mind that she can win this."

It seemed so as the cat wasted no time lunging toward Froslass. The white girl prepared to counter only for the cat to speed to the right, leaping toward her side and scratching it.

Froslass winced from the pain as Sneasel continued to slash her, shouting, "FELINE FRENZY!" cutting open her skin while the others cheered.

However, their cheers came to a halt when rather than blood, ice emerged from the cut. Sneasel's eyes widened as Froslass smiled lightly and said, "I probably should have warned you in advance, but ice isn't just a power I have. It's also what keeps me alive."

And sure enough, the substance had attached itself to the cat's claws, binding them in place. She tried desperately to pry them away only only for Froslass to blow onto her fingers, causing nail-like crystals to form. She then stated, "Ice Claws," before swiping them across Sneasel's shoulders, causing her to cry out in pain as a bit of blood squirted out.

At that moment, Sneasel managed to escape from her grip, thinking, 'Shit! If I keep making her bleed, I'll just set myself up for more moves like this!' as Froslass licked the blood off of her fingers, saying, "Spirited blood is simply delightful."

Sneasel and the others stared in horror as the white girl blushed, resting her hand against her cheek. As if her powers were not terrifying enough, now it seemed this surprisingly civilized villain had a taste for blood. Was she really as friendly as she seemed or was she actually psychotic?

Froslass could tell the cat was thinking this as she said, "Do not worry about my liking for blood. You see, I grew up in Southeast Asia where animal blood is used in cuisine. Though while most prefer to cook it into delicacies such as sausage and pudding, my family prefers it straight out of a bowl."

"Oh god, you'd better not even think about eating me!" Sneasel retorted, trembling as Froslass smiled sweetly and replied, "Don't worry, I have no intention of eating your flesh. It's just, well, your blood was right on me, so I couldn't resist. And I have to say, it's very nice."

"That is not making me feel any better!" the cat retorted as she leapt toward the white girl, her feet pointed at her face. However, it seemed Froslass was ready for this as she blew a light bit of air, forming a wall in front of her face and saying, "Ice Barrier."

And sure enough, Sneasel's kick was halted when she made contact with the material. And to make matters worse, Froslass had even more planned as she formed a katana made of ice in her hand, saying, "Ice Katana," sending it sideways through her barrier and across Sneasel's chest.

"OH MY GOD!" Eiko squeaked with terror in her eyes, the cat crying out in pain as Froslass formed a set of ice shackles around her wrists and ankles, holding onto chains made from the same material.

Sneasel was terrified out of her mind as the white girl drifted over to a turnbuckle, tying the chains around its top. As such, Sneasel found herself unable to move forward as Froslass formed a bo staff, saying in a heavenly tone, "Ice Torture."

When her eyes glowed briefly, there was no doubt in Sneasel's mind now. Froslass was clearly not right in the head, and the cat was going to feel the full brunt of her psychotic mind as she smacked her repeatedly with the long, icy staff. Thus Sneasel found herself covered in bruises, unable to defend herself against this.

Torchic stared wide-eyed and spat, "COME ON, SNEASEL! FIGHT IT! YOU CAN DO IT!" the humans joining in with the cheers. Unfortunately, Sneasel could not hear them through the ice surrounding the ring, but even if she could, the shackles were unbelievably hard.

'She said her ice only melts when she wants it to,' Sneasel thought with her teeth gritted, her ear feather glowing, 'But she said nothing about breaking it! It might not be easy shattering those big objects she's formed so far, but let's see how thin chains handle it.'

With that, she leaned her body along with her head back, taking in more hits to her belly. But once her feather was low enough, she swung her head around and barked, "FEATHER SWORD!" slicing the chains open as Froslass stared in shock.

"THAT'S IT!" Sneasel spat as she leapt toward her, darkness surrounding her claws as she threw them downward and exclaimed, "PURRNISHMENT!"

This put big cuts on Froslass' torso as the cat leapt away just in time to avoid being trapped again. She then smirked as she thought, 'Perfect. As long as I don't stay near her after cutting her open, I can win this easily.'

She then leapt backward toward the ice rope, leaping off and cupping her claws together. She then spun and exclaimed, "FELINE POWER DRILL!" striking the white girl's side and flying toward the opposite end. She then flipped herself one-hundred-and-eighty degrees, her feet making contact with this set of ropes as she launched herself back toward Froslass, trying the same move again, the others cheering upon witnessing this.

However, the white girl saw this coming as she blew ice onto her wrists, covering them in a nice coating and held the one closest to Sneasel in front of her path. She had a light smile on her face once more as she said, "Ice Matador Cape."

As such, Sneasel's movement came to a halt as her claws scraped up against the ice, the cat gritting her teeth and trying her hardest not to let up. However, she soon realized halting her attack would have been a better idea as Froslass formed a hammerhead on her free hand, shifting it over the cat's head.

"Ice Mallet," she said as she sent it hard into Sneasel's skull. The cat's eyes widened as she coughed up a bit of blood, falling flat on her face while Eiko trembled, whimpering, "Oh no! She was doing such a good job!"

Torchic and Isamu were unsure what to think of this as Froslass lifted Sneasel up, holding her in a tight embrace and floating high into the air. She then blew upward as a gust of wind surrounded both of them, small bits of hail coming with it.

The white girl then flipped herself over one-hundred-and-eighty degrees, descending toward the ring and saying, "Hail Storm Suplex."

And with that, Sneasel's skull made contact with the canvas as she coughed up one last bit of blood. Her eyes rolled to the back of her head as Froslass released her, allowing her to collapse before bending down. She then picked up some of the blood with her fingers and licked it, smacking her lips with a light smile on her face.

"Oh my god!" Torchic exclaimed as she lit her talons on fire, kicking the ice surrounding the ring and barking, "I DON'T CARE WHAT SHE SAYS! I WON'T LET HER KILL SNEASEL!"

However, it seemed that she had little to fear as Froslass snapped her fingers, causing the barrier to melt. She then gently lifted up Sneasel and carried her out of the ring, setting her down and saying, "Don't worry, fiery kiwi. I have no intention of killing any of you. I'd much rather have you alive."

Her smile sweetened by a bit as Torchic shuddered, not liking the sound of that. If anything, it came off as too innocent, almost as if there was a double meaning. However, she realized she had to look past that as she took a deep breath and nodded, saying, "Right."

Eiko bit her lower lip and whimpered, "Be careful, Torchic," as Isamu took a deep breath and said, "Don't worry. I'm sure she can do this. After all, she has the power of fire helping her."

Torchic leapt into the ring and stated, "By the way, I'm not actually a kiwi. I'm a chicken," as Froslass blinked and replied, "That's even better," her cheeks turning light pink while she cooed, "I wasn't so sure because you don't have any arms or wings, but now that I know, I'm even happier to face you."

The chicken tensed up at the sound of this but tried not to let this get to her. She had to remember that she was the only hero left to combat Yveltal and Xerneas' helpers, thus she had to do her absolute best. This meant not letting a possibly psychotic opponent scare her.

While this went on, Fletchinder flew in place, waiting for a moment to strike. However, it seemed Magcargo was a lot more patient than expected as he remained tucked in his shell, waiting for the robin to lose patience and try to strike him.

After a few seconds, Fletchinder seemed to realize this as she thought, 'I know,' before flying toward him, figuring the snail would hear it. And sure enough, as she got close, he started to whistle an Arabian melody once more, his fire rising up and taking on the form of a snake.

Seeing this, the robin stopped her attack and kept her distance, narrowing her eyelids as the fire snake reached around, nipping the air. And after a few seconds, Magcargo poked his head out to see the reason for this.

'Perfect!' Fletchinder thought as she dove toward him with her beak on fire, shouting, "FLAME MISSILE!" the snail gasping as he tucked himself into his shell, the robin once again hitting the material and taking in light pain.

"Dammit!" she grunted as she flew away just in time to avoid being grabbed by the fire snake. However, it was then that she got an idea as she thought, 'Alright, if Vigoroth was able to break your body suit, I should be able to break through that shell of yours, even if it is stronger.'

With that in mind, she descended toward the shell with her heels pointed outward, planting them into the hard material. She then lit her talons on fire and exclaimed, "FLAME TALON BARRAGE!" kicking the shell repeatedly at a rapid pace.

Magcargo could hear this as he smirked, thinking, 'Oh, this is just too much,' before whistling a different melody. Fletchinder's eyes widened when the shell started to vibrate, the robin noticing a small slit in the top that she had not noticed before.

Before she could respond, Magcargo exclaimed, "LAVA PLUME!" as the magma on his back seeped through the tiny opening and shot up like a fountain, hitting Fletchinder hard and sending her flying into the air. She gritted her teeth, trying her best to ignore the pain as small burn marks formed.

It only got worse when the snail retracted from his shell and said, "Finally," before leaping high into the air and reaching the robin's level. He then latched onto her and flipped her upside-down just like he had done to Vigoroth earlier, descending toward the floor and shouting, "VOLCANO DRIVER!"

Fletchinder tried her hardest to break free, but with her wings trapped in place and her physical strength being not quite on her father's level, this was proving to be quite difficult. And sure enough, the back of her neck made contact with the surface as she coughed up blood, more burns forming on her.

Magcargo released his hold and allowed her to collapse, folding his arms and saying, "I already told you, my shell is significantly stronger than that armour I was wearing before. You were foolish to try breaking through it."

When Fletchinder started to push herself up, Magcargo's eyes widened as he gasped, "Oh, right! I'm not making that mistake again!" before leaping into the air and tucking himself into his shell once more. He then spun vertically and descended toward the robin, shouting, "VOLCANIC ROCK POUNDER!" the material hitting her hard in the back as she coughed up more blood.

The snail took a deep breath and retracted from his shell, a smirk on his face as he said, "As you can see, I have no intention of letting you thwart the plans of my master and mistress. I fully intend to make these humans suffer for the way they've treated me ever since I left Mars to come to this planet!"

Fletchinder could still move, but she knew if he noticed, he would likely end his speech and attack her again. As such, she decided to think logically and use this time to recover while Magcargo added, "It was horrible. While most members of my species would never even think of leave my home planet to come here, I always wanted to meet Earthlings and learn to get along with them, maybe even find a human mate to spend my life with, you know, seeing as it is common nowadays."

The robin rose an eyebrow as he continued, "Unfortunately, everyone I touched I ended up burning. In hindsight, I should have seen that coming, so I hardened my exterior to create a my new body suit. Unfortunately, no one wanted to associate themselves with someone who looks like that, even though no one has a problem with golems. That's the whole reason I joined the side of evil, to get revenge on this miserable, judgemental planet!"

Fletchinder had to admit that she felt sorry for him. As he said, this was a time when beings like him were treated like everyday people. To think that he would get this kind of abuse even after making himself a body that would allow him to make contact with people and not hurt them. If the robin had lived a life like that, she would have probably tried to get revenge on mankind too.

Even so, she could not allow Yveltal and Xerneas' plan to work, thus when Magcargo finally remembered to focus on the fight again, she lit her talons on fire and performed a handstand. The snail's eyes widened as she propelled herself up, kicking him hard in the chest and barking, "TALON BRANDING!"

Magcargo backed up and growled, "Dammit! Another perfect opportunity and I wasted it!" the robin flying toward him while spreading her legs out. She then folded her arms and spun like a top, shouting, "PROPELLER INFERNO!" sending an onslaught of kicks into his cheek.

It did not end there as she took hold of the snail's cheeks, ignoring the pain this dealt to her. She then reeled her head back before lighting her beak on fire and sending it into his forehead, barking, "FIRE NAIL!" knocking him backwards thus causing his shell to hit the floor hard.

But much like before, this had barely any effect as Magcargo gritted his teeth and spread out his arms. He then exclaimed, "INCINERATED!" as he waved them downward, rubbing them against Fletchinder's chest thus giving her a reason to back up and flap away from him.

The snail righted himself up and took a deep breath, saying, "I have to admit, it's actually kind of nice to meet someone on this planet who can tolerate my magma body. But even so, I can tell it's still having an effect on you and that every time you attack me, you end up harming yourself just a little bit. By the time this match ends, I think we both know who the true winner will be."

As much as Fletchinder hated to admit it, he was right. While her fire attributes gave her a good resistance to heat, it did not change the fact that his magma was having an effect on her. And combined with the moves she had taken in so far, she would need to be careful if she was to truly finish what she and Vigoroth started.


	84. Chapter 84

While Fletchinder had gotten a slight advantage back, Magcargo had still dealt more damage to her so far. And while this went on, Torchic was just getting ready for her match with Froslass after watching Sneasel suffer a horrible defeat. Needless to say, this snow-white adversary was a force to be reckoned with and quite terrifying despite her calm demeanour.

Eiko looked nervous as Isamu patted her reassuringly on the shoulder. But even so, he knew how serious this was, especially since there was one more villain to deal with before the group could even think about making it to Yveltal and Xerneas' quarters. Not to mention Torchic and Fletchinder were the only heroes left with the strength to stand up to anyone.

The chicken looked around and said, "Hey, I notice you didn't bring up that cover like before," as Froslass nodded and explained, "It's because I don't have to worry about a pair of humans running into the ring to help you out and interfere with the match."

Torchic nodded and really hoped the white girl was right about that. The last thing she wanted was for Eiko and Isamu to endanger themselves, especially after making it this far without being attacked.

Froslass gave Torchic a sweet smile as she said, "Since I just beat your ally, I feel it only fair to let you attack first," as the chicken narrowed her eyelids, thinking, 'Well, she hasn't exactly lied so far. Maybe she won't try to counter.'

Even so, she intended to take a more cautious approach to this as she raced toward Froslass. Once close enough, she leapt to the right with her talons on fire and exclaimed, "BLAZE KICK!" leaping up and sending both sideways into the white girl's cheek.

Eiko and Isamu cheered as Froslass shifted sideways, rubbing that very spot as Torchic blinked and thought, 'She actually didn't try to fight back. Well, that's her first mistake.'

With that in mind, she proceeded to aim a roundhouse toward Froslass only for her to cover her wrist in ice, saying, "Ice Matador Cape," and blocking the incoming kick. And just as she had stated before, her ice could not melt unless she wanted it to, thus Torchic's kick had no effect.

The white girl fully intended to take advantage of this as she lifted up her arm, sending the ice-coated wrist into Torchic's face. The chicken's eyes widened as she flew backward into the icy ropes, her backing taking in quite a bit of pain from this.

Eiko bit her lower lip as the chicken gritted her teeth, standing upright and thinking, 'Dammit. Even with my fire powers, Froslass is still a pain. That was such a simple tactic yet it was really effective. Even if I don't cut her open, I still need to be careful.'

It was then that the chicken realized something she could do. As such, she leapt toward Froslass and aimed a kick toward her only to have it blocked once again by her wrist. But just as it seemed that she was bound to take in damage again, she used this opportunity to bite into the white girl's hand.

Froslass gasped in shock as Torchic lifted up her legs, wrapping them around her arm and latching her feet to her neck. The chicken then reeled her head back thus pulling on the white girl's arm, thinking, 'She may be able to counter punches and kicks, but let's see how she handles a submission hold.'

"Sweet!" Eiko squealed with her eyes sparkling, "She's using the Torch Family Special!" as Isamu nodded with a grin.

However, it seemed that Torchic did not quite have the advantage she had hoped for as Froslass blew her icy wind onto her hand, forming her katana. She then smiled lightly and said, "Ice Katana," shifting it sideways and aiming it for the chicken's talon.

Her eyes widened as while Froslass ran the risk of stabbing herself at the same time as the foot, this hardly mattered. She had ice inside of her as opposed to blood, ice that could heal any wound that she had, meaning even a stab to the neck would not kill her.

With this in mind, Torchic released her hold and leapt away only for Froslass to hurl the weapon toward her. The chicken gasped in terror and leaned backward, barely avoiding a fatal strike to her heart. However, the katana still managed to scrape lightly against her belly, putting a small cut in it as a bit of her blood flew out.

Seeing this, Froslass wasted no time floating over and catching the droplets with her tongue. She then smacked her lips and swallowed it, her cheeks bright pink as she sighed, "I'd almost forgotten how delightful chicken blood is."

Eiko felt like she was about to hurl as even Isamu could not bear to watch this any longer. All he could do was hope that Torchic would be able to turn things around as Froslass could have very well been the most intimidating of Volcanion's soldiers, even more so than Magcargo.

Torchic ignored the pain to her belly and rose back to her feet, taking a few deep breaths and thinking, 'Okay, I can still do this. Even though submission holds won't work, it's not impossible.'

With that in mind, she raced toward Froslass with her beak on fire. The white girl noticed this and blew on her hands, giving herself longer fingernails. She then said, "Ice Claws," and swiped them toward the chicken.

Torchic's eyes widened as she stopped her attacked and backed up. She then raced sideways and started circling the white girl. She figured that if she could confuse her, then she would not take in another hit.

"Hey, have you noticed none of our friends have slipped on the ice in the ring yet?" Eiko asked as Isamu nodded and replied, "It's because they've been using the claws on their feet to keep themselves from falling," the pink-haired girl nodding.

After a few seconds, Torchic managed to get behind Froslass as she aimed a roundhouse toward her. Unfortunately, it seemed as if the white girl was ready for this as she spun around with her arm out, cutting open the chicken's cheek. But luckily, Torchic's roundhouse had managed to land at the same time, thus resulting in both fighters taking in damage.

Froslass seemed to ignore the pain dealt to her side as she used this chance to latch onto Torchic, planting her nails into her shoulders. The chicken winced in pain as the white girl floated high above the ring, releasing wind from her mouth along with hail.

Once high enough, she flipped herself one-hundred-and-eighty degrees, saying, "Hail Storm Suplex," driving Torchic's skull into the canvas as her eyes widened and she coughed up blood. And while she still had fight in her unlike when Sneasel took in the move, it was still very painful as Froslass allowed her to collapse.

"NO!" Eiko squeaked in panic as Froslass gasped at the sight of Torchic's blood on the icy ring. As such, she knelt down and scooped it up onto her hands, gulping it down and licking her lips. Her cheeks were flushed pink as she held herself in an embrace, sighing, "So heavenly."

But while Eiko and Isamu were once again terrified of this, Torchic had a look of hope in her eyes as she thought, 'That's it. I know how to defeat her.'

With that in mind, she wasted no time leaping toward the icy ropes, launching herself off of them before flipping herself backwards. Thus her feet were now aimed at Froslass' back as they were soon engulfed in flames. The chicken then exclaimed, "ROARING PHOENIX!" while the fire took the form of a phoenix head.

Froslass was unable to react in time as she took the blow to her back, her eyes and mouth wide with shock as she flew forward into the ropes. And since they were made of ice, this only added to the pain as she groaned, turning to face Torchic while Eiko and Isamu clapped and cheered.

"Impressive, but don't think I'm going to let that happen again," Froslass said as she formed her katana once more. But before she could advance forward, Torchic lifted up her right leg and planted a single claw into the cut on her belly, pulling on it and causing more blood to squirt out.

"WHAT IS SHE DOING!?" Eiko squeaked in panic only for Isamu to slowly nod his head, uttering, "Oh my god, why didn't I think of that?"

As soon as the blood spilled, Froslass' eyes sparkled as she smiled wide at the sight of it. As much as she wanted to focus on the fight, she could not resist the urge to dive toward the liquid, Torchic using this chance to send a flying roundhouse into her face.

As the white girl backed up, rubbing that very spot, Torchic turned her head around and used her beak to pick at the open wound on her shoulder. Thus she wound up drawing more blood as Froslass blinked, slowly floating over to it and kneeling down. And as soon as her guard was dropped, Torchic leapt into the air and sent an axe kick into the back of her neck.

"Oh, I get it," Eiko whispered, "She's using her blood to distract Froslass," as Isamu nodded and grinned, saying, "Seems like her creepy fascination with the stuff is now her biggest downfall."

But while Froslass had not heard the humans when they pointed this out, it seemed she realized it anyway as she gazed at Torchic with no life in her eyes. She neither looked angry nor happy. She appeared neutral, and somehow, this was much more terrifying than if she had sported a cold stare.

"I knew it," she uttered as the others stared at her in confusion, "You're just like the others. You see my love of blood and you treat me like some kind of monstrous animal for it. Admit it. You're making fun of me."

The chicken tilted her head to the side and asked, "What?" as Froslass stated in a deadpan tone, "This is exactly why I joined the side of evil. While it is normal for people in Southeast Asia to use blood as an ingredient or a sauce, my family is the only one that enjoys it by itself. Because of that, no one wanted to talk to me or be my friend. They saw me as some kind of freak."

"I can think of more reasons than that," Isamu whispered as she added, "I sided with Yveltal and Xerneas so I could one day have revenge on the world that couldn't respect my family's customs and traditions. You could never understand that."

Before Torchic could even respond, the white girl blew onto her arm, forming a long sickle and flying toward her. The chicken wasted no time digging into the wound on her belly and releasing more blood, but at this point, Froslass was too angry to pay it any mind. As such, she soared right past the liquid and exclaimed, "ICE SICKLE!" hooking Torchic's neck with the handle.

Afterwards, she shifted her arm sideways thus pressing the blade up against that very spot, digging it in enough to draw blood but making sure not to kill her target. After all, it was as she said before. She had no intention of killing any of the people in her room, and she refused to let her anger blind her from that.

With Torchic defenceless, the white girl formed a hammer on her free hand and sent it into the chicken's cheek, barking, "ICE MALLET!"

Eiko and Isamu stared in horror as Froslass formed an ice pick on each of her hands and wrapped her arms around Torchic, planting them into her back and shouting, "ICE PICK SUPLEX!" lifting her up and leaning backward, the chicken's head hitting the canvas.

Torchic did her best to ignore the pain as she latched her legs onto the white girl's neck. However, this proved ineffective as Froslass flipped herself upside-down, taking hold of said parts. She then applied a great deal of force while pushing downward thus forcing Torchic's body into the canvas and causing her to let go.

As the chicken lay on her belly, Froslass gazed down at her and took a deep breath, saying, "You brought this upon yourself. You and every other judgemental monster in the world will pay severely for your prejudice."

During this time, Fletchinder kept her distance from Magcargo as he once again tucked himself into his shell. While she had gotten the drop on him earlier, she also remembered what happened when she tried attacking the protective material.

After a few seconds, she realized something that could work as she flew over Magcargo's shell, cupping her talons together. She then started to spin while engulfing her body in flames, descending toward the hardened magma and shouting, "SPINNING TOP INFERNO!"

With that, her claws hit his the shell hard like a drill as Magcargo sighed, "Keep trying all you like, but it won't work."

However, his eyes widened when he looked up and noticed small cracks forming. He could not believe it. Even with his shell being so strong, Fletchinder was finally able to damage it.

There was no way Magcargo would allow this to persist, though, as he whistled a war melody. Thus his back started to rise up through the cracks as he exclaimed, "LAVA PLUME!" Fletchinder gasping as she barely moved to the side in time to avoid the incoming magma.

Unfortunately, it seemed the snail had expected this as he switched to whistling an Arabian tune, the fire leaking from his shell taking on the form of a snake once more. To make matters worse, Fletchinder did not have enough time to react as it bit into her ankle, lifting her up and slamming the back of her neck into the floor, Magcargo barking, "SNAKE FIRE SLAM!"

After allowing the robin to collapse, he propelled himself into the air, spinning his shell vertically while shouting, "VOLCANIC ROCK POUNDER!" planting it hard into her belly as she coughed up blood. Now that he knew she could potentially break his shell, he could not allow her to recover again.

As such, once she was crushed under his shell, he retracted from it, flipped Fletchinder onto her belly and wrapped his tail around her legs. He then latched his hands to her chin, small puffs of smoke coming from the area as he pulled upward with a big grin on his face, saying, "You may be able to resist my heat in a way no one else can, but you lack the physical strength to truly best me in combat."

Fletchinder gritted her teeth and thought, 'No! I'm so close! He may have a motive behind his actions, but I can't let him enslave humanity! After all, my father wouldn't have allowed such a thing to happen, so I won't either!"

With this in mind, she started to shift her legs, and while this did only cause them to burn more, she ultimately managed to loosen Magcargo's tail thus prying them out. She then bent them back, resting them under the snail before placing her hands firmly against the mat, pushing herself up thus allowing her to lift Magcargo with her talons. And once he was high enough, she lowered her feet briefly before sending them back up, striking him hard in the gut thus causing him to release his hold on her chin and fly high above the floor.

The robin flew up toward him with her body once again engulfed in flames. And it was not long until she planted her beak into his chest, raising her arms and locking his wrists in place. She then performed a U-turn and exclaimed, "NOW IT'S TIME FOR YOU TO DEAL WITH A SPIN ON AN OLD FAMILY FAVOURITE, FLARE MISSILE BLITZ!"

And soon enough, Magcargo's shell hit the floor hard, his eyes widening as the cracks spread. And sure enough, once they reached the edges, the entire object came apart, its pieces flying in various directions while most of them fell into the magma surrounding the area, floating on the surface.

Since Fletchinder had applied a little extra force to Magcargo, his back still took in pain from this as he lay there with his arms spread out and his eyes and mouth twitching. But even so, the robin did not believe for a minute that this was truly enough to finish him off and thus struck a fighting pose.

And sure enough, the snail managed to rise up, breathing heavily and rubbing his back just to make sure he was not imagining this. And after feeling nothing there, he let out a disjointed laugh, a forced grin forming on his face.

"YOU WITCH!" he snapped before lunging at Fletchinder in an attempt to pin her to the floor. However, now that he could no longer hide in his shell and his leaking flame was gone, Fletchinder did not have a reason to hold back as she sent her talons hard into his face.

Magcargo ignored the pain and sent a hard punch into Fletchinder's cheek. However, the robin did not seem to feel it as she grabbed onto his wrist, ignoring how much this hurt her hand.

"I hate to break it to you, but you should have learned more techniques," Fletchinder grunted as she shifted her arms forward, grasping onto the snail's shoulders. She then took to the sky as her body was once again covered in flames, performing a U-turn and shouting, "FLARE BLITZ!"

And soon enough, Magcargo's head made contact with the floor as a big cloud of smoke rose up, covering both fighters. And once it cleared, it was official. The snail lay on the floor unconscious while Fletchinder stood tall and proud, ignoring the various burns on her body and breathing heavily.

"I'll admit, you were tough, but you weren't good enough," she said with her arms folded, "I'm really sorry for the way everyone treated you, but trying to enslave mankind doesn't make you any better."

She then flew outside to rest along with the still unconscious Vigoroth, sighing, "I really hope Torchic and Sneasel are doing alright. I'm not sure if I'll be able to help them or not."

But while the robin had won, this did not change the fact that Torchic was in more trouble than before. As the chicken was still lying on her belly, Froslass floated high above her and blew a spiralling wind around her legs. This formed what looked like a drill head in that very spot as she spun around and descended, Eiko and Isamu gasping in horror.

"ICE DRILL!" Froslass exclaimed, but just as she was seconds away from hitting Torchic, her eyes widened as she quickly rolled to the side. Thus the white girl wound up putting a hole in the ring, now stuck in place as the chicken rose to her feet, breathing heavily with terror in her expression.

Unfortunately, she had missed a perfect opportunity to strike as Froslass melted her drill, blowing on the hole to patch it up. But even so, the white girl was beyond irritated. After all, she had really hoped that move would end the match for good, so to see Torchic avoid it was not something she could get over right away.

As such, she proceeded to blow more wind toward Torchic, forming shackles around her ankles and neck. And just like when she used this move on Sneasel, she also formed chains that she quickly tied to the nearest turnbuckle, a light smile on her face as she said, "There, now you can't avoid me."

With that in mind, she blew into her hand and formed a bo staff, Eiko biting her lower lip and whimpering, "She can get out of this, right? I mean, Sneasel did it," only for Isamu to sigh, "True, but Sneasel was able to cut her way out. Torchic doesn't have a blade and she can't melt Froslass' ice either. If she has a way out of this, she'd better use it soon."

And needless to say, the chicken was thinking the same thing as she knew exactly what was coming next. If she could not find a way out of this, she would lose for sure and all hope would be lost.


	85. Chapter 85

Things could not have been any worse for Torchic as Froslass had bound her in place with her ice chains. And with her bo staff in hand, there was no doubt that this match was still heavily in her favour as she had a cute grin on her face, light briefly flashing from her eyes.

Eiko held Isamu tightly, biting her lower lip. Right now, she wished she had done what Rinko did and spent her life training to fight evil. Then she could step into the ring and take over.

Torchic could tell she was thinking this when she turned to face her, a light smile forming on her face as she uttered, "Don't worry, Eiko. I can get out of this," only for Froslass to lift up her staff, exclaiming, "ICE TORTURE!"

She then proceeded to strike the chicken repeatedly with the weapon. As such, bruises formed on various parts of her body. And after taking another hit to her cheek, she found herself coughing up blood as Isamu gritted his teeth.

"Dammit!" he cursed, "I wish we could do something! This is just painful! She was doing such a good job too!"

After striking Torchic thirty times, Froslass halted her attack with a light smile and said, "Now that I know you can't take advantage of me, I think I'll have myself a little snack," before walking over to the chicken's blood and bending down on her hands, licking it off the ring's surface.

Torchic gritted her teeth as the white girl looked up at her with the most psychotic look anyone had seen from her so far, chuckling, "I know what you're thinking. That girl's crazy. She's coo-coo, not so right in the head, on her way to an asylum! Guess what!? I don't care what you think of me anymore!"

Torchic could tell from the way she said this that she did not mean a word of it, and right now, that scared her even more. As such, she knew she would need to break free from these chains, otherwise she would likely be stuck there for life, doomed to forever be this psychotic girl's plaything.

With that in mind, the chicken gritted her teeth and tried to move forward. However, all this did was cause pain to her neck and ankles, small cuts forming as bits of blood trickled out. Seeing this, Froslass gave her a deadpan look and uttered, "You're trying to take advantage of my love of blood again, aren't you? I don't like that."

With that, she blew on the end of her staff and formed a spearhead, adding, "If anyone's going to draw blood, it's going to be me," before sending it hard into Torchic's shoulders, barking, "ICE SPEAR!"

The chicken cried out in pain as Isamu spat, "Come on, Torchic! I know you can get out of this! You took in extreme torment from a big golem and not only managed to stand but even knocked him out! It takes a great deal of strength to pull off something so incredible!"

Torchic's eyes widened as she took another stab, this one to her midsection. However, she chose to ignore the pain this time as she sighed, "Look, Froslass, I'm sorry I took advantage of you like that, but I wasn't making fun of you! I simple saw a way to get the upper hand and took it, just like you're doing right now! But even so, I can't afford to lose! Not only is the fate of the world at stake, but, well, it's wrong to keep a child away from the one who hatched him!"

Froslass was not completely sure what the last statement meant, but this hardly matters as Torchic let out a loud cry, her entire body engulfed in flames. While her family was well known for being able to light up their feet, hands and beaks, not once had any of them ever lit their entire bodies on fire, so this was truly amazing.

And of course, the chicken intended to make full use of this opportunity as she once again forced her body forward, Froslass trembling and looking terrified for the first time. And sure enough, it seemed her fear was necessary as the turnbuckle holding the chains in place started to crack near the bottom.

"NO!" Froslass cried out, raising her spear, "FORGET IT! I DON'T WANT YOU ALIVE ANYMORE! I'LL KILL YOU IF I HAVE TO!"

But just as she hurled it forward, Torchic manage to break the turnbuckle, swinging it in front of herself as the spear pierced it instead. And it did not end there as the chicken leapt toward it, sending a roundhouse into it thus causing it to fly out of the ring. And before Froslass could even attempt to respond, Torchic exclaimed, "FIRE PECK!" planting her beak hard into her gut.

The white girl coughed up a bit of cold air as Torchic leapt up and wrapped her legs around her torso. Eiko and Isamu's eyes sparkled, big open-mouth smiles forming as they cheered wildly. There was no doubt about it. Torchic had this match in the bag.

"I try to avoid using this move due to the fact that my family was never meant to use techniques like these," Torchic grunted, "However, I can't allow someone as unstable as you to rise up again. As such, I find it much more logical to use something that'll take you out for good."

She then used all her might to propel herself and Froslass high above the ring, flipping one-hundred-and-eighty degrees. It took a great deal of energy, but deep down, she felt that this was worth it as she exclaimed, "ASTEROID FRANKENSTEINER!"

Froslass' skull made contact with the surface as small cracks formed around the area, her eyes and mouth wide open. Torchic's hold on her loosened, though, as the chicken fell on her chin, the white girl collapsing. But while Torchic felt tired, she still managed to rise to her feet, breathing heavily as she turned and started down at her opponent.

Eiko and Isamu tensed up as after a few seconds, it seemed that Froslass was no longer moving. With that in mind, the chicken smiled lightly before falling on her back, taking many deep breaths and sighing, "Thank god. That was a nightmare."

With the match finally having come to a close, all of the ice slowly vanished, including the wall covering the door. Seeing this, Eiko breathed a sigh of relief as Isamu patted her on the shoulder.

The two then walked over to Torchic as the boy asked, "Hey, are you alright?" the chicken nodding and saying, "Yeah, don't you worry. I just need a short rest, then I'll be up and kicking before you know it."

As urgent as the situation was, Eiko and Isamu were unsure of whether or not they should really expect Torchic to face the remaining villains. After all, she had taken in a lot of damage against Froslass and even ended the match with a move that cost her a great deal of energy.

However, they knew they could not advance forward without another hero there to help them fight. After all, there was still one more villain guarding Yveltal and Xerneas not to mention the bird and stag alone were powerful in their own right.

As luck had it, though, a part of the wall opened up as Jackalu and Clawitzer emerged, the dog grinning and saying, "Well, what do you know? The elevators in this place really do go everywhere."

The group stared in shock as Clawitzer smiled and said, "Hey, guys," before looking around the area and uttering, "Looks like things got serious here, eh?"

Eiko and Isamu continued to stare in stunned silence as Jackalu blinked and said, "Right, we should probably explain why we're here right now. Well, you see, after a bit of a rest, both of us felt that we had enough energy to keep going."

Clawitzer nodded and added, "We also remembered what Dunsparce said about the elevators here, so we decided to use Combee's hand print to open the nearest elevator, seeing as there was no way she and Porygon would get up anytime soon."

Eiko nodded as Isamu replied, "Well, that almost explains everything. Did you actually know we were going to be here?" Jackalu nodded and replying, "Hey, don't forget, I may be a badass hero, but I'm also a dog," pointing to his snout and twitching it.

The humans turned to one-another and shrugged, nodding their heads. While neither had expected a dog's nose to be that sensitive, this was still convenient as there was no way Torchic would be able to fight anymore.

The chicken smiled lightly and said, "It's always nice to have the extra help. Give me five minutes and I'll be able to join you," only for Jackalu to shake his head and remark, "Oh no. I may not know exactly what went down here, but you are in no condition to fight right now. Leave the rest to us."

Eiko nodded and gave Torchic a sweet smile, adding, "He's right. You've done enough for us. Now take a long, well deserved rest, okay?"

The chicken was about to retort only to nod and say, "I have faith in you two. Be sure to save Kelani and Machop, alright?" before closing her eyes and dozing off, Isamu breathing a sigh of relief and saying, "Thank god. I was starting to think this would be a repeat of when she fought Meloetta."

With all said and done, the two heroes and their human friends headed toward the exit to the area, ready to take on the last three villains keeping them from success. But they would need to hurry as one could only guess how long they needed to turn Zygarde into an adult.

As it so happened, Yveltal was close as Zygarde asked, "How much longer, Mom? This is boring," the bird sighing, "Be patient. We only need another hour or so," the dragon groaning.

Xerneas snickered and said, "I remember when I was like that," as Yveltal sighed, "You're still like that sometimes, dear."

Machop, meanwhile, was seated with her legs crossed and her arms folded, growling, "Yeah, act high and mighty all you like. My friends will make it here and then you'll be sorry."

"Can I just take her out of the capsule and knock her out?" Xerneas groaned as Yveltal stated, "Look, I find it annoying too, but we can't take our chances. We may have beaten her once, but who's to say it'll be as easy the second time around?"

"Oh, so you admit you're afraid to face me in a rematch," Machop remarked with a smirk as Xerneas turned to her with irritation in his expression. However, he calmed down when Yveltal shot him a look and shook her head, Machop snickering.

"Laugh all you like," the stag grunted, "Once our little Zygarde is all grown up, you'll wish you'd shown us more respect."

He could have gone further, but he was interrupted when Volcanion entered the room through a door on the floor. The stag immediately turned to him and asked, "What are you doing away from your post?" the dinosaur replying, "Sorry. I just wanted to see how everything's coming along."

Yveltal smiled and said, "Well, we only have about an hour left, so I'd say things are going swimmingly," as Volcanion nodded and gave an army salute, stating, "That's good to hear. I'll go back to my post now."

But as soon as he turned around, his eyes widened as the door opened up. And sure enough, Jackalu, Clawitzer, Eiko and Isamu were standing right there as Machop's eyes lit up, the girl pointing and squealing, "What did I tell you!? I said they'd make it and they did!"

"Oh no," Volcanion uttered as Jackalu smirked and said, "Yeah, don't you worry about a thing, Machop. We've dealt with two really strong soldiers and I'm sure the others have beaten their opponents too."

"You've gotta be kidding," the dinosaur groaned as Machop beamed and squealed, "This is great! But why aren't the others with you?"

Jackalu shrugged and replied, "Well, we found ourselves needing a bit of rest after our fight, and I'm pretty sure the others are resting up as well. Torchic we know is currently super tired after her fight. And, well, one of us won't be coming to help no matter what."

"Wait, what?" Machop uttered as Eiko bit her lower lip, Isamu sighing, "Unfortunately, Marshal was one of the others who made it into the base with us. He went up against the first villain we came across and, well, died."

Machop's eyes and mouth were wide open as Volcanion blinked and said, "So his victim was someone named Marshal. Do any of you recognize that name?" as Yveltal nodded and replied, "Why, yes. His full name is Marshal Arte and he's the son of Sawk."

Clawitzer let out a sigh and folded her arms, saying, "Yeah, we were devastated when he heard about that, but we won't let his death be in vain. Once we defeat that last servant of yours, we'll take you down as well," pointing at Yveltal and Xerneas.

Volcanion narrowed his eyelids as Xerneas asked, "Hey, Volcanion, it's two against one. Want me to even the playing field?"

"Negative," Volcanion replied with his arms folded, "If what these two have said is correct, they've already fought two of my soldiers. I'm certain I can take them by myself."

Isamu blinked and whispered, "Either he's really good or he's full of himself," Eiko nodding and replying, "I know. Jackalu and Clawitzer are already awesome by themselves. I can only imagine how much better they'll be working together."

The boy then turned toward Machop and attempted to sneak over only for Yveltal to say, "Don't bother trying to break your girlfriend out. That capsule is made out of tektites, which are much stronger than ordinary glass. It'll take a great deal of strength to break through it, and considering Machop herself can't break it, I don't think any of you can."

Eiko squeaked in panic as Jackalu smirked and said, "Alright, fine, once we deal with this guy, we'll break her free," as Clawitzer nodded and added, "Yeah. You see how big my right claw it, right?" showing it off as Volcanion gulped.

But before the fight could begin, Zygarde groaned, "Hey, Mom, can we take a break from all of this? I wanna see Volcanion kick some heroic ass," as Yveltal blinked and sighed, "Well, it's not like I'll have to restart the process, so okay. I guess we may as well take a break from this."

"Wait, who is that?" Eiko uttered as she did not recognize this much older-sounding voice. But as the dragon sat upright, somehow, she could tell just from looking at him who he was.

"Is that you, Kelani?" she asked as Zygarde's eyes widened, the dragon uttering, "Mommy?" before blinking and rubbing his temple, remarking, "What the hell kinda name is Kelani? Seriously, my folks gave me a much cooler name."

"That's right," Yveltal replied, "People fear names like Zygarde, but Kelani is much more likely to be laughed at," as Isamu gritted his teeth, Jackalu gulping with his eyes wide open.

"Even after hearing this from Dunsparce, I didn't want to believe it," Jackalu groaned as Clawitzer asked, "Wait, so he went from a dog to a dragon?"

"You think that's weird?" the dog remarked, "When he was born, he looked like a blob," as Eiko did not even care about this, tears in her eyes.

However, before she could try talking to Zygarde some more, Isamu rested a hand on her shoulder and sighed, "Look, I know it's hard to accept, but Kelani's been changed. If push comes to shove, the others might have to fight him," as the pink-haired girl bit her lower lip, trying her hardest not to cry.

"What's wrong with her?" Zygarde asked as Yveltal shrugged and replied, "Maybe she realized that there's no way her hero friends can defeat us," only for Jackalu and Clawitzer to scowl at her and turn their gaze back to Volcanion, striking fighting poses.

Seeing this, the dinosaur nodded and said, "Alright, since you two have probably not recovered from your last fight, I'll let you get the first hit."

Jackalu and Clawitzer nodded at one-another, not buying for a second that he would just let them hit him. As such, they both separated from each other and ran sideways, Clawitzer racing toward Volcanion's left while Jackalu was headed toward his right.

The dinosaur's eyes widened as Clawitzer leapt at him with her arm out, shouting, "CRABHAMMER HANDLE!" Jackalu doing the same with with his wrist spikes at the ready. And sure enough, the shrimp's big claw made contact with the dinosaur's neck while Jackalu struck his cheek.

Machop clapped wildly and exclaimed, "YEAH! YOU GUYS ROCK!" as Eiko and Isamu joined in.

However, they were shocked when Volcanion seemed to ignore the pain, grunting, "Not bad, but not good enough!" lifting up his arms and grabbing each one's arm.

He then proceeded to lift the heroes up before slamming them hard against the floor, Yveltal and Xerneas smirking with their arms folded. And it did not end there as Volcanion knelt down, lifting his arms up before planting his palms into their backs. But while this was already painful enough, things would soon get worse as steam shot from the holes in the ring on his back.

"By the way, this ring isn't just for show," he explained as his palms turned red, Jackalu and Clawitzer crying out in pain as extreme heat seemed to emit from those very spots, "In fact, this attachment here stores both water and fire within me, allowing me to combine them into a very deadly reaction. Not many realize this, but fire and water actually make for a very good combination when used right."

He then proceeded to shout, "STEAM ERUPTION!" as even more steam shot from the holes, the heat getting worse as Jackalu spat, "OH MY GOD, YOU MONSTER!"

Eiko trembled as Isamu patted her on the shoulder, saying, "Don't worry. The fight's only just started. I'm sure they can turn this around."

Luckily, Jackalu and Clawitzer fully intended to do just that as they tried their best to ignore the pain. Thus the shrimp rose her big claw and rammed it hard into Volcanion's arm, causing him to wince and briefly raise it. This gave her just enough time to roll out of the way, sending her claw into the other arm thus freeing Jackalu.

"Thanks," he said with a grin as both heroes performed a handstand and swung their feet backwards, hitting Volcanion hard in the chest.

Once again, the dinosaur seemed to ignore the pain as he took hold of a single leg on each hero. He then threw his arms back before sending them forward, flinging the heroes away from him as they spun vertically. But things got even more shocking when Volcanion's ring split open down the middle, revealing the halves to be more like hoses as he pointed them toward Jackalu and Clawitzer.

"Something else worth note about my ring is that it's also two cannons that I can combine together," he explained before unleashing a blast of water from each one, barking, "SCALDING BLASTER!"

And just as the name implied, the water was boiling hot as it dealt considerable damage to the heroes upon making contact. Thus they cried out in pain as they were sent flying into the wall, Xerneas whistling with admiration and applauding the dinosaur.

Machop stared in horror as Jackalu and Clawitzer looked surprisingly weak after taking in that hit. Perhaps it was as Volcanion suspected. After all, it was not as if they had gotten a lot of rest after their fight with Combee and Porygon, so perhaps they had chosen to attempt this too soon.

"Wow!" Zygarde exclaimed with an implied smile, "Volcanion's awesome!" as Yveltal nodded and replied, "That's why he's our general."

Hearing the dragon praise the dinosaur like this made it hard for Eiko to focus on watching the fight. All she could do was pray that maybe there would be a way to change him back to the sweet, innocent child he once was so they would not have to bring harm to him.

Jackalu took a deep breath and asked, "You okay, Clawitzer?" the shrimp nodding and replying, "Of course. Though I have to admit, we probably should have rested longer before doing this. I think maybe we should take our chances with our newest technique, don't you?"

The dog nodded with a wide grin as Volcanion frowned and grunted, "What are you so happy about!?" preparing his cannons only for Jackalu to hold his arms out, allowing Clawitzer to leap on top of them as he propelled her high into the air.

Seeing this, Volcanion aimed his cannons toward her only for Jackalu to race toward him with a crimson aura around his paw, shouting, "FORCE PALM!" and striking him hard in the chin.

Like before, the dinosaur seemed to ignore the pain, but before he could retaliate, Clawitzer landed behind him and wrapped her big claw around his neck, planting the smaller one into his back. Jackalu used this chance to leap up and wrap his legs around the dinosaur's neck, the others staring in wonder.

"This move ended our last fight," Jackalu said with a smirk as Clawitzer leapt high into the air, taking both fighters with her. She then leaned backward, flipping one-hundred-and-eighty degrees, thus Volcanion's head was now facing the floor as Zygarde uttered, "That's actually kinda cool."

But as Jackalu lifted up his body and wrapped his arms around Volcanion, the dinosaur gritted his teeth and growled, "I DON'T THINK SO! STEAM ERUPTION!" reconnecting his cannons to form a ring and releasing steam, only this time there was even more as his entire torso turned bright orange.

Despite this, though, Jackalu and Clawitzer chose to grin and bare it as they exclaimed, "VICE LANCE EMBRACE!" planting Volcanion's skull hard into the surface, Isamu cheering as Eiko breathed a sigh of relief, glad to see that their move had still worked.

However, it seemed it might have been too early to celebrate as shortly after the attack landed, Jackalu and Clawitzer breathed heavily as they released their hold on the dinosaur. They then proceeded to collapse along with him as he slowly rose to his feet, smirking and saying, "I'll admit, you have some good moves, but you never stood a chance."

"NO!" Eiko squeaked as Machop gritted her teeth and started to beat against the side of the capsule. She knew it was pointless, but she could not allow this to continue. She felt so helpless watching the others suffer for her sake.

Volcanion used this chance to place a firm grip against each hero, lifting them up and saying, "I'll admit, I'm actually kind of impressed you two lasted as long as you did. But even so, it simply wasn't meant to be."

With that, he proceeded to sandwich the two together with their heads facing the floor and leapt high above the ring, once again shooting steam from his ring thus heating up his palms. And to make matters worse, Jackalu and Clawitzer were currently so weak that they could not even cry out in pain. Thus they were sitting ducks as he descended toward the floor, exclaiming, "STEAM DROP!" planting their skulls hard against the surface.

Both heroes coughed up blood as their eyes rolled to the backs of their heads. Zygarde clapped along with Yveltal and Xerneas as there was no doubt about it. Volcanion had won this fight as he folded his arms with a proud smirk.

"NO!" Eiko cried as even Isamu could not help but tremble, Zygarde exclaiming, "Now no one can stop us, right!?"

"That's right," Yveltal replied with a nod, "Remember, humans like those two are powerless to stop us."

Eiko shook her head, tears rolling down her cheeks as she sniffed, "How could you, Kelani!?" Zygarde blinking as she whimpered, "Come on, it's me, Mommy! Don't you remember!? I was the one who hatched your egg and took care of you! Don't you remember any of that!?"

Zygarde's eyes widened, but just as it seemed like he was about to remember, Yveltal sighed, "Clearly this girl is delusional. After all, you've always lived here with us, right?"

The dragon blinked and nodded, replying, "That's right. I've never seen this sad sack before in my life," as Eiko clutched onto her chest, breathing heavily while Volcanion sighed, "You know, if you two agree to serve us, we won't hurt you."

"ALRIGHT, THAT'S IT!" Machop barked as she sent a harder punch than before into the side of the capsule. Everyone stared in absolute shock as cracks formed on the tektites, spreading all the way around before shattering the containment unit into many small fragments.

Isamu turned to face the girl as a big smile formed on his face. With that, he raced over to her as her anger became surprise, the boy leaping toward her and holding her in a tight embrace, shouting, "OH MY GOD, YOU ESCAPED! YOU ACTUALLY ESCAPED! THANK GOD!"

He then started to shower her in kisses as her cheeks turned beet red. However, it felt very nice as she beamed bright and wrapped her arms around him, swinging him back and forth.

"Ew!" Zygarde groaned, "That's disgusting!" as Yveltal sighed, "I couldn't care less about that right now. How the hell did she break through the material?"

"I don't know," Xerneas uttered, "But then again, the Mach family is known for pulling off miracles. Maybe that's what happened," as Volcanion gulped, "She probably wants to fight me, doesn't she?"

Upon hearing that, Machop released her hold on Isamu and sighed, "Well, he's right about that," cracking her knuckles as Isamu blinked. He was about to ask if she was ready for this, but he knew better by now as he nodded with a sweet smile, saying, "Alright, show him why you're so amazing."

The girl shot him a grin and held her thumb up before walking in front of Volcanion, grunting, "You don't scare me in the slightest! The only reason you beat Jackalu and Clawitzer is because you took advantage of their weakened states! Let's see if you can beat a member of my family at full strength!"

The dinosaur took a deep breath as Xerneas asked, "Do you wanna take a break? I'll gladly fight her instead."

"You're too kind, sir," Volcanion replied with a smirk, "But trust me, I can do this," before turning back to Machop, both beyond serious now. But while Machop may have been at full strength, could she truly finish what Jackalu and Clawitzer started?


	86. Chapter 86

This was it. With Jackalu and Clawitzer defeated, only Machop could stand in the way of Yveltal and Xerneas' plans. But of course, she would need to fight her way through Volcanion first.

Zygarde was truly getting into the moment as he clenched his fists and waved them up and down, exclaiming, "This is awesome! Keep it up, Volcanion! You rule!"

The dinosaur blinked and turned toward the dragon, grinning and holding his right claw up like a thumb. He then turned back to Machop with a more serious look and planted his fist into his palm.

"I know of your reputation and how near-flawless your track record is," he stated, "But make no mistake. I'm a lot tougher than those other opponents you faced in the past. Tentacruel? More like Tenta-Gruel! Gyarados? They should name her Hot-Air-Ados! Slurpuff? Come on, do I even need to make fun of his name?"

"Seriously?" Machop remarked, "First you try to bore me to death with a bad attempt at intimidation, then you resort to petty name calling? I'm really starting to wonder if you're as threatening as you seemed when you fought Jackalu and Clawitzer."

The dinosaur's eyes and mouth widened as Isamu sighed, "She's right. You at least seemed serious about this before. Now you just strike me as immature," Eiko nodding as Zygarde uttered, "Hey, I thought those names were funny."

"Oh, thank god, someone likes it," Volcanion sighed as all went silent. After a few seconds, the dinosaur realized this hardly mattered right now as he cleared his throat and clenched his claws into fists, grunting, "Enough of that! Let's get to the part where I drive your face into the floor and make you eat volcanic rock!"

Machop refused to let the dinosaur get the first hit as she raced toward him, a confident smirk on her face as she exclaimed, "Don't forget, I'm the world champ!" leaping toward him and sending a roundhouse into his cheek.

The dinosaur stumbled a bit as the girl took hold of his arm and lifted it upward, forcing her shoulder against his. This caused him to lose his balance and fall forward, his chin hitting the floor hard while Eiko and Isamu cheered.

"That's my girl!" Isamu exclaimed with a grin, "I missed seeing her pull off all those miracles," as the girl used this chance to drive her elbow into the back of Volcanion's neck, distancing herself from him with a cute grin.

"I'd try and use a submission hold on you, but you might use that cheap steam technique again," she stated as the dinosaur pushed himself up, grunting, "Oh, aren't you Little Miss Smartypants? Don't think a few lucky hits makes you some kind of superstar. I barely felt those."

Before he could attempt to fight back, though, Machop once again raced toward him, heading to the side only to aim a kick for the higher part of his leg. But when it hit, Volcanion ignored the pain and swung his arm into her cheek, her eyes widening as she fell on her side.

The others stared as Isamu uttered, "Did we just see that?" as Machop rubbed the spot that had just been hit, Volcanion smirking and saying, "You may be tougher than you look, there's a reason I'm the general. I don't know if you noticed this from watching your friends fight me, but it takes a lot to get me to feel pain, meaning that even slowing me down isn't easy."

Machop gritted her teeth and retorted, "You're just trying to scare me!" pushing herself up and sending both feet into the same spot she had hit earlier.

Unfortunately, Volcanion once again ignored the pain this dealt as he sent his arm downward, planting his palm into the girl's gut. He then smirked and said, "You were smart to try and avoid my 'cheap steam technique', but did you honestly think that would last?"

Steam shot from the holes on his ring as he exclaimed, "STEAM ERUPTION!" his palm turning bright orange as Machop's eyes and mouth widened. She could not help but cry out in pain as Isamu spat, "COME ON, MACHOP! FIGHT IT!"

The girl gritted her teeth, grunting, "Right!" focusing hard as her muscles expanded briefly. Luckily, this was just enough for her to push herself up in an arch, causing Volcanion to lose his balance and fall on his rear end. And before he could respond, the girl rose to her feet and crossed her arms together, sending them into his neck.

Unfortunately, Volcanion ignored the pain and wrapped his arms around Machop, smirking as he said, "I told you, it takes a lot to get me to feel pain."

He then proceeded to bend down, lifting the girl over his head. He then planted her chin into his hunch and exclaimed, "MOUNTAIN SUPLEX!"

Machop gritted her teeth as he shifted his hands up, now clasping onto her ankles. He then threw his arms forward, sending the girl's back into the floor as he released his hold and smirked, saying, "See that? Even after taking in damage prior to this fight, I'm still dominating."

Machop was just about to get up only for Volcanion to step on her chest, saying, "Sorry, but I feel like using that 'cheap steam technique' again," as Yveltal sighed, "Look, it was clever the first time. Try not to milk that taunt, okay?" as the dinosaur grumbled, "Fine."

He once again shot steam from the holes in his ring and spat, "STEAM ERUPTION!" this time transferring the heat to his heel as Machop once again cried out in pain. And it only got worse as Volcanion lifted up his foot and sent it back downward, adding to the pain as he barked, "STEAM ERUPTION STOMPER!"

He then proceeded to shift his foot back and forth as it he was squishing a bug thus adding to the pain even further as Isamu spat, "Come on, Machop! You can easily get out of this!"

The girl gritted her teeth and grunted, "Of course!" before lifting up her arms and placing a firm grip against Volcanion's foot. He proceeded to transfer heat all the way around it as opposed to just the heel, but Machop ignored this as she used all her might to force his foot upward, once again causing him to lose his balance.

She then propelled herself up toward his neck with her leg stretched outward and exclaimed, "MOON LARIAT!" sending it hard into his neck and knocking him on his back.

Eiko's eyes sparkled as she squealed, "She found a new way to use the Moon Hook! So cool!" as Isamu breathed a sigh of relief and said, "That's our Machop, always pulling off miracles when they're needed most."

However, much like before, Volcanion seemed to ignore all pain as he rose back to his feet, saying, "I'll admit, you're proving to be about as annoying as I'd heard members of your family can be. But don't think for a minute that's gonna save you from failure."

With that in mind, he separated his cannons as Machop panicked, the dinosaur adding, "By the way, I've heard your family and water don't exactly mix. As such, I just know you're really gonna hate this. SCALDING BLASTER!"

He unleashed a burst of boiling hot water from each cannon as Machop dodged to the right. However, it seemed that Volcanion saw this coming as he shifted the left cannon toward the girl, thus sending the water hard into her face. She cried out in pain as she flew into the wall just like Jackalu and Clawitzer had, Isamu and Eiko trembling while Zygarde clapped and cheered.

Machop groaned in pain as Volcanion reconnected his cannons, a bit of steam coming out as Eiko blinked and uttered, "Why did he stop firing?"

Isamu tapped his chin before realizing the reason, his eyes widening. He then pointed at the dinosaur and exclaimed, "Quickly, Machop, he's reloading the cannons! Get him now!"

"Wait, how did he catch onto that?" Volcanion uttered as Machop shook her head and sprinted toward him. However, he was more than ready for this as he released more steam from his holes, his forearm turning bright orange as he swung it toward the girl's face, shouting, "STEAM PUNCH!"

Machop saw this coming, though, as she ducked under it. Unfortunately, it seemed this was pointless as the dinosaur sent his free fist into her face, causing her to cough up blood as she faltered back a bit.

With that, the dinosaur once again separated his cannons and exclaimed, "SCALDING BLASTER!" hitting the girl in the chest and sending her flying into the wall once more, taking a deep breath.

"I'm actually kind of impressed that your boyfriend was able to catch onto what I was doing," Volcanion said with a smirk, "But yes, part of the reason my back is so big and hunched is because it's filled to the brim with water and fire. But in order to load them into my cannons, I need to have them connected to each other. Not exactly sure why that is, but yes, it means I can't just spend the entire fight shooting water at you."

Even knowing this fact, it seemed that Machop would need to be more careful if she was to take advantage of this as she once again tried her hardest to overcome the pain that had been dealt to her. There was no doubt about it. Volcanion was one of the toughest opponents she had ever faced.

Even so, she could not allow herself to lose, not after how far her friends had come to stop Yveltal and Xerneas' plans. Thus she took a deep breath and raced toward the dinosaur once more, knowing she would need to try something else.

Volcanion smirked and readied his fists again, his cannons almost full. And when Machop got close enough, he sent a punch toward her face.

The girl was prepared this time as she smirked and leapt to the side. However, Volcanion figured she would try that and swung his arm in the same direction only for Machop to take hold of it, pushing down on it and propelling herself high into the air. The dinosaur's eyes widened as she used this chance to send her feet into his cheek, wrapping them around his neck and pulling sideways, thus forcing him to fall forward and land on his chin.

The humans cheered as Zygarde blinked and uttered, "Wow, I feel like I've seen tactics like these before. I just can't remember where," scratching his head as Eiko turned to face him, biting her lower lip. She really hoped this was a sign that he was starting to get his memories back.

Before Machop could do more to Volcanion, he smirked and said, "I keep telling you, none of your attacks are actually hurting me," separating his cannons and pointing one right at her, barking, "SCALDING BLASTER!"

As he unleashed more water, Machop was much more prepared this time as she leapt over it, Volcanion aiming the other cannon at her. Luckily, the girl had seen this coming as well as she spun sideways, dodging the incoming blast. She then landed on the dinosaur's back right behind the cannons and took hold of them, pointing them at the back of his head thus causing him to hit himself. And after a few seconds, she reconnected the two cannons, only this time they still had three more seconds until the water came to a stop.

Volcanion's eyes widened as he spat, "HEY! THEY'RE NOT SUPPOSED TO TOUCH WHEN SHOOTING WATER!" both cannons inflating like balloons as Machop leapt off of his back, folding her arms with a smirk.

And sure enough, an explosion formed as steam rose up into the air, a small burn having formed on Volcanion's back. As if that was not enough, the ends of the cannons had been destroyed as the dinosaur breathed heavily, a look of irritation in his eyes.

Eiko blinked and uttered, "Did she really just destroy his water cannons?" as Isamu nodded with a grin and exclaimed, "Way to go, Machop!"

Yveltal and Xerneas were just as shocked as Volcanion right now while Zygarde groaned, "Aw, man, those cannons were cool."

Volcanion laughed nervously and said, "This should be fine. I'll just reconnect them like so," bending the cannons inward and pressing the ends up against each other. However, this proved ineffective as he could no longer attach them, his teeth gritted and his eye twitching.

"YOU'RE GONNA PAY FOR THAT!" he exclaimed as he charged toward Machop with his fists at the ready. However, the girl easily saw this coming as she leapt to the side, sending a roundhouse into the top of his leg. But much like before, the dinosaur ignored the pain as he raised his arms and lowered it behind her, taking hold of her neck.

"Just because I can't use my steam anymore doesn't mean I can't hurt you," Volcanion grunted as he latched his other arm to her back, once again lifting her up and planting her skull into the top of his hunch, barking, "MOUNTAIN SUPLEX!"

Since his hunch was as pointy as it was, this caused Machop's head to open slightly as blood poured out, the girl wincing from the pain. And just like before, Volcanion was prepared to add to the damage as he lifted her up over his head, shifting his arms downward, only this time he latched onto her thighs as opposed to her ankles.

However, there was no way Machop would allow herself to fall victim to this a second time. As such, she took full advantage of the fact that her legs were free this time and bent them downward, latching onto Volcanion's neck. His eyes widened as she placed her hands firmly against the floor, grunting, "Next time you try something like this, make sure the opponent can't fight back!"

She then used all her might to lift the dinosaur up, his eyes wide with shock as Machop slammed his skull hard into the floor. Eiko and Isamu cheered wildly, Volcanion gritting his teeth as the girl released her hold on him, allowing him to use his palms to propel himself upright.

"Fine, keep pulling off counters like this," Volcanion grunted, "But as I keep telling you, it won't help you in the slightest. I remember a time when I used to feel pain, back when I was weak, but I underwent extreme training that made me incapable of such a thing! You can beat away at me all you like, but I'll never feel the blunt of any of your moves! You may as well submit to my master and mistress right now!"

Yveltal smiled and added, "It's not too late," as Eiko and Isamu frowned, Machop smirking and retorting, "As if. You may be able to ignore the pain I deal to you, but that doesn't mean it's not doing something. Ignoring pain doesn't protect you from taking in damage. It just stops you from feeling it. In other words, my moves are still dealing damage to you whether you believe it or not."

"SHUT UP!" Volcanion retorted as he raced toward the girl with his arms at the ready, sending one hard into her face before punching her in the gut. The girl coughed up more blood as he asked, "Tell me, if I've been taking in damage so far, why haven't I started bleeding yet?"

He then proceeded to send a wide array of punches toward Machop's face as she tried her hardest to block them. She would have used her family's infamous Mach Cover to soften the blows, but as was revealed before, she was the only one incapable of making it work.

And it only got worse as after a while, Volcanion caused her to drop her guard by sending his big ankle into her gut. As such, she was now wide open as he sent a hard punch into her face, knocking her on her back as Eiko and Isamu stared in horror, Zygarde clapping while Yveltal and Xerneas smirked.

Volcanion took a deep breath and lifted the girl up by her legs, hanging her upside-down. He then lowered his arms so his palms were pressed up against her sides and said, "I'll admit, you lasted a lot longer than you should have, but your time's up. All you've done here is delay the inevitable. You would have been better off staying in that capsule."

"NO!" Isamu barked as Volcanion leapt high into the air, shouting, "STEAM DRIVER!"

But as he descended toward the floor, Machop gritted her teeth and grunted, "No! I will not let my friends' efforts be in vain!" thus she took hold of his legs and let out a louder cry, her muscles expanding briefly. And with all her might, she managed to flip one-hundred-and-eighty degrees, the dinosaur's eyes wide with shock and alarm.

Machop continued to hold onto his legs as she pulled back on them, the dinosaur breathed heavily as she latched her ankles around his neck. Thus he had been forced into a bridge formation as the girl exclaimed, "MACH LIGHTNING!" his skull hitting the floor hard.

Volcanion coughed up blood as his eyes were wide open, his mouth twitching. It was just as Machop said. Even though he had not felt any of the blows dealt to him, they still had an effect. As such, he was unable to continue as he closed his eyes, the girl releasing her hold and allowing him to collapse.

The others stared in amazement as Zygarde uttered, "Did she just beat Volcanion?" Xerneas sighing, "It seems that way. He was doing such a good job too."

"Still, I can't say his efforts were meaningless," Yveltal stated with a light smile, and the others soon saw it as Machop breathed heavily, bending over and holding onto her knees, grunting, "Don't count me out just yet. I can still fight."

Isamu ran over and patted her on the shoulders, saying, "No, it's fine, Machop. You won the fight," Eiko nodding only for the girl to retort, "How can you say we've won!? Those two are still standing!" pointing at the villains as Zygarde uttered, "Did you forget I'm also able to fight right now?"

Xerneas and Yveltal blinked and turned as the dragon got up off the table he had been seated on, saying, "Mom, Dad, I know I'm not at full power yet, but I wanna avenge our fallen comrades by ending this once and for all," planting his fist against his palm.

Both parents turned to their son as their eyes sparkled, Yveltal exclaiming, "Oh my god! You really are growing up!" before giving him a hug as he groaned, "Mom! Not in front of the heroes!" Eiko staring in absolute horror.

Machop turned to the pink-haired girl with concern as she understood exactly what was going through her head. After all, Zygarde had been a member of her family until recently. And as hard as it was to deal with, Machop might very well have to defeat him.

However, even that was looking doubtful as she was struggling to stay up, Zygarde smirking until Isamu turned to Eiko and sighed, "Forgive me for this, sis."

Before the pink-haired girl could ask what he meant, he stepped forward and exclaimed, "Hold on!" Zygarde blinking as the boy asked, "Is this really how you want to win your first fight on Earth? Defeat the world champion after she's already sustained lord knows how many injuries? I figured the son of two amazingly powerful villains such as Yveltal and Xerneas would have more pride and confidence than that!"

Eiko stared wide-eyed, uncertain of how to feel about this. After all, if Machop was given time to recover, there was a chance she could defeat the dragon in a fight, meaning she would end up hurting him. But on the other hand, this was for the sake of mankind's freedom, so this certainly sounded ideal.

Zygarde blinked and retorted, "What are you saying!?" as Isamu sighed, "What I'm saying is you're a goddamn coward if you think this sounds right," Yveltal and Xerneas glaring at the boy.

"Don't listen to him, son," Yveltal said with a serious look on her face, "What he doesn't realize is that results matter much more than pride," Xerneas shrugging his shoulders and uttering, "Yeah, what your mother said," not wanting to admit that he actually agreed with Isamu's words.

Machop secretly hoped that this would work. As much as she hated to admit it, she really was too weak to face another villain in combat and thus would certainly need at least a day to prepare herself.

"Sorry, Mom," Zygarde said with his arms folded, "I know where you're coming from, but that guy's right. If I beat her in her current state, all that will prove is that I need a handicap to be able to defeat a hero. But if she really is the world champion as they say and I beat her while she's at full strength, imagine how much the world will fear us."

Eiko tried her hardest not to freak out right now. Just hearing her little 'Kelani' saying this horrible stuff was too much to bear.

Shockingly enough, Yveltal and Xerneas had taken his words into consideration as the bird nodded and said, "You know, the world already fears us enough, but he's right. There's nothing wrong with a little more respect," as Xerneas nodded and added, "Besides, we still need to complete the adulthood ritual."

"Actually," Zygarde replied with his hand out, "I want to win my first fight as I am right now. If I defeat her in my teen state, that will be even more impressive," an implied smile forming as the parents looked at one-another. It took them roughly ten seconds, but ultimately, they agreed to this.

Machop breathed a sigh of relief along with Isamu, Eiko biting her lower lip and trying not to tear up again. Deep down, she knew this had to be done and thus she smiled and nodded, saying, "I just know you can beat him, Machop. Maybe if you do, he'll come back to his senses."

Just saying that second sentence helped her feel more positive about this as Machop grinned and replied, "Yeah," before turning and asking, "So, where and when do you want the match to take place?"

Zygarde blinked and turned to Yveltal who nodded and said, "Worry not. We will give you one day to rest in the nearest hotel. Afterwards, you will return here where we will have a ring set up for you. In fact, we will even have a soldier bring you here on the elevator so you won't need to take an hour-long walk to get here. As for the time, try coming around noon."

"Geez, it this base really that big?" Machop groaned as Isamu and Eiko nodded, the girl taking a deep breath and turning back to Yveltal, saying, "Noon it is."

Eiko gave Zygarde one last look before heading over to the still unconscious Jackalu and Clawitzer along with Isamu. Each human lifted one up as they knew the last thing Machop should have done right now was carry someone. She had done more than enough for the day.

But they knew that the upcoming match would likely be difficult. While Zygarde may not have been in his most powerful state, it was unknown just how strong he was as a teen. No one knew whether or not Machop really could win this.


	87. Chapter 87

It seemed that Isamu had helped as he had bought Machop a bit of time to prepare herself for a match with Zygarde. But until then, the group was more focused on making sure the others were okay.

Luckily, the majority of them had recovered enough from their fights to exit the base, those fighting outside having just barely managed to dominate Volcanion's soldiers. Those still unconscious were, of course, carried out.

As the heroes exited the base, Fletchinder was holding onto Vigoroth while Gigalith carried, Sneasel and Gallador in his hands while Garbodor was slung over his back. Meloetta and Delphox, all the while, had agreed to carry Marshal's corpse out of the building so they could give him a proper burial.

Though along the way, Machop turned to Rinko and asked, "What's with the new fashion statement?" the brunette looking down at her roots and grinning, replying, "It's kind of a long story," the group reaching the exit as Venipede sighed, "We'll tell it later. There's too much going on right now."

Upon seeing them, Psyduck blinked and walked over, saying, "Hey, guys. I take it you stopped Yveltal and Xerneas, right?" as Machop shook her head and replied, "Not yet, but I'll stop them tomorrow."

"Wait, you mean you got them to agree to a fight tomorrow?" one of the other heroes, namely Lombre, asked as the girl nodded and sighed, "Well, I'm gonna be fighting Kelani, unfortunately."

The other nearby heroes stared in confusion as Torchic hobbled over and said, "That's what we used to call Zygarde before he got captured," all of them nodding in understanding.

However, the conversation came to a close when everyone noticed Eiko looking down and trying her hardest not to start crying again. After all, it was as she said. If Machop could defeat Zygarde, there was a chance that might return him to how he once was.

Though as if the whole deal with him was not enough, the group also felt that they had to at least bury Marshal and give him a funeral. He had died helping them make it to the top floor, so at the very least, they would need to get this out of the way.

Needless to say, the whole day had been filled with challenges and hardships, and while there was at least a ray of hope now that Machop was free, the problem had not yet been completely resolved. Not only did the girl have to defeat Zygarde, but she would likely have to deal with Yveltal and Xerneas, even if they depended on the dragon to help them fulfil their goal.

For the time being, though, Machop would need to rest up for her match. She could have gotten some training in if she had more time, but unfortunately, she did not. But of course, this would have to come after the funeral.

All of the heroes who were still conscious pitched in to dig a hole, placing Marshal gently into it and bowing their heads in respect. Even those who did not know him particularly well had tears in their eyes while burying him.

Eiko, meanwhile, watching this while sitting down and hugging her legs, whimpering, "I just really hope this all ends well. I don't want anyone else to die, but most of all, I want my little Kelani back," tears welling up in her eyes as Isamu walked over to her and gave her a hug.

It was not long until Machop, Rinko, Venipede, Torchic and Meloetta joined in. After all, they knew the dragon almost as well as she did, so they wanted him back as well. In fact, the very thought of having to fight him scared Machop as she could not help but wonder how valid Eiko's theory was.

Would defeating him really restore him to how he used to be? Would she have to resort to killing him? As if the very thought of killing a good friend was not painful enough, she and every member of the Mach family had never once resorted to such extremes and she was proud of that.

With all said and done, the heroes all decided to check in at a hotel for the night. After all, the day had been long and tiring. Though even with all the energy they had spent today, it was amazing how easily most of these heroes were able to get to sleep, especially knowing that the fate of the world rested in Machop's hands.

Currently, the girl was sharing a two-bedroom suite with her friends from Tokyo save for Vigoroth who had been brought to a hospital along with the others who were knocked out. Torchic had gotten quite a lot of sleep after her match with Froslass, so she was able to stay awake a bit longer while Venipede and Rinko dozed off almost immediately after entering the room.

Machop and Isamu currently shared one room while the others decided to give them some alone time. Currently, the girl was wide awake with her hands folded behind her head, Isamu looking at her with concern and saying, "Hey, you need to get some sleep. If you don't, you'll be too tired for your fight."

"I know," Machop sighed, "It's just, well, I've never felt more nervous about a fight before in my life. It's not just the fact that the world is at stake, but, well, this is Kelani we're talking about here. Even as he is now, just one look at him makes me think of that sweet puppy who used to be so happy to see us."

"Yeah, I know what you mean," Isamu sighed, "It's just weird looking at him now and hearing everyone else refer to him as Zygarde. It just doesn't feel right."

Machop nodded and asked, "Do you really think Eiko will be okay with me beating him in tomorrow's match?" as Isamu sighed, "She might not express it openly or even realize it at first, but trust me, she understands full well that this is necessary. She's not going to try and keep you from doing this and risk the fate of the entire planet because of her own feelings. She probably won't show it at first, but I'm sure she'll be glad to know the world is safe. Besides, I think her theory has merit. Maybe if you hit Kelani hard enough, he'll go back to being Kelani if you know what I mean."

Machop blinked and smiled lightly, saying, "You know, I'd almost forgotten about that. I guess the idea of fighting a friend under serious circumstances just felt so wrong. But then again, both Daddy and Mama did that back in the day during the Ultimate Team Tournament when Smeargle was brainwashed by Vespiquen. They didn't even hesitate. They just knew it was the right thing to do."

"Yeah, and look at how well it all turned out," Isamu replied with a light smile, "I may not be up to date with everything regarding your family, but I definitely looked that up, and yeah, not only was Smeargle's humanity restored but he even went from a complete loser to a badass. But ultimately, he did need a good kick in the pants to realize who his true friends were."

Machop gave a light nod and said, "Thanks so much, Isamu. I really needed that," the two sharing a brief kiss as the girl yawned and dozed off, falling asleep almost instantly.

All the while, Torchic had joined Venipede and Rinko and gone to sleep while Eiko was still awake, having a lot of trouble doing the same. Meloetta could see this and understood perfectly as she bit her lower lip and shifted over to her, patting her on the shoulder.

"Are you gonna be okay?" she asked with a sweet smile as Eiko sighed, "I don't know. It's just, well, I told Machop that I was okay with her fighting Kelani, but I just don't know. I know he's evil right now, but I don't wanna see him get hurt."

"None of us wanted this," Meloetta sighed, "But it needs to be done. If there were any other way to bring him back, we'd have tried it by now. Besides, I'm sure that by the time this is all over, he'll come back to the side of good and we can start calling him Kelani again."

Eiko breathed a sigh of relief and nodded, saying, "Yeah, I'm sure this'll all work out. Things always work out for us."

With that, she and Meloetta shared a hug before wishing one-another a good night. But while the green-haired girl was able to get to sleep quickly enough, Eiko spent the next couple of minutes still awake, really hoping that she was right. While things often turned out for the best, that did not instantly mean the same thing would happen this time.

Meanwhile, Zygarde was getting ready for bed himself as Yveltal stood there with a smile, the dragon sighing, "Mom, I don't need you to tuck me in."

"Oh, I know," she sighed, "It's just that you make me so proud. It's like you're already an adult," Zygarde implying a smile with his eyes and replying, "Yeah. I'll make that bitch pay for what she did to Volcanion. He will be okay, right?"

Yveltal nodded and said, "Don't worry about him. He's recovering in the infirmary. But I'm sure he'll be more than happy to see you finish what he started."

With that, the two wished one-another a good night as the bird exited the room, Xerneas standing right there and asking, "So, you really think he can do it? I mean, I think it's pretty awesome that he's doing this, but still."

"Oh, don't you worry about a thing," Yveltal replied with a smirk, "Even if Machop really does have the skills to match blows with him tomorrow, he will be the winner of that match."

Xerneas blinked and tapped his chin before nodding and grinning, saying, "Oh, I see. Well, then, guess we got nothing to worry about," both parents walking off toward their own room on the top floor.

What exactly did Yveltal mean, though? Was she really that confident in Zygarde's abilities or was there something she and Xerneas knew that no one else did?

The night seemed to go by quicker than usual as Machop woke up at nine. This allowed her to get just enough rest without sleeping in too late, the others having gotten up a half-hour prior. And after a quick breakfast, the heroes and their humans friends were on their way to Sakurajima, the girl bringing with her a handbag humped over her shoulder.

Along the way, Machop pulled out her cellphone and sighed, "Well, it's gonna cost me, but here goes," before scrolling through her contacts and selecting Lairon.

After a few seconds, she got a response as the dinosaur said, "Hello," Machop replying, "Hey, Lairon. How are things in Tokyo?"

"Oh, thank god," Lairon replied, "I read in this morning's newspaper that you'd been freed, but I needed the sound of your voice to confirm it. You have no idea how worried we've been."

"Yeah, I know," the girl sighed as she listened to him for a bit more and said, "Okay, I'll hold. I got about two-and-a-half hours before the match anyway."

After a little while, Lairon seemed to turn the phone to speaker as Garchomp exclaimed, "Hey, Machop! It's so nice to hear from you!" the sound of barking coming from the background as she added, "Oh, seems Eri's excited to hear your name."

"Well, yeah, it was hard, but I managed to escape from my confinement," Machop sighed, "By the way, did the newspaper mention anything else? Honestly, I'm kinda surprised they even knew of my escape considering I didn't see any news crew on my way to the hotel."

"That's the thing with us heroes," Lairon replied, "Word spreads fast about us in some way or another. Speaking of which, is it true that Marshal's dead?"

"Yeah," Machop sighed as Garchomp said, "Honey, now's not the time to bring up something like that," only for the girl to reply, "It's okay. I know Marshal would rather not have me think about his death with such an important match coming up. I assume the paper told you about that too, right?"

"Yep," Lairon said with a sigh, "I have to say, Machop, I'm really proud of you for how far you've come and I'm sure you can defeat Zygarde in his current state. Just try not to let our connection to him cloud your mind. I know fighting someone who was once so close to us must be painful."

Machop let out a sigh and replied in a softer tone, "Yeah, you're right. But I'm sure if the old Kelani is hiding somewhere inside of this new form of his, he'd want me to do my best," before facing Isamu and Eiko, both of which gave her supportive smiles.

She had to remember what Isamu had told her before bed. While Eiko would likely have trouble showing it, she, too, would have much rather seen Machop try her best than hold back just because of their friendship with Zygarde prior to his capture.

"Anyway, we'll actually be able to watch this fight," Lairon said, "Currently, the area where you'll be fighting is being featured on every station. After all, it's kinda hard for the whole world to ignore such a big event, right?"

Machop blinked and uttered, "Wow, I knew Yveltal and Xerneas were going to let me and my friends in there, but I didn't think they'd actually let a news crew in. But then again, they are intent on having the world fear them, so I guess this does make sense to a certain degree."

Her conversation with Lairon and Garchomp went for a little while longer as they ultimately wished her the best, the dinosaur reminding the girl to remember everything he had taught her. In the end, she was certainly glad that she called them up. Their encouragement only helped to mentally prepare her even more for her upcoming match.

Yveltal, Xerneas and Zygarde were waiting as a ring had been set up in the middle of the room, the dragon talking to the stag about how he would go about the fight. Meanwhile, Yveltal stood before a camera as a reporter asked, "So, how do you think your son will fair against the world champion?"

"Trust me, by the time this match is over, you'll all know how threatening this family is," the bird replied with a grin as the reporter shuddered and thought, 'Why can't I react to these statements like a normal person when I'm on camera?'

She then shook her head and said, "As you can all see, Zygarde is doing his best to prepare himself both physically and mentally for this legendary match for the fate of mankind. If possible, we will have a word with Xerneas and see what he has to say about this."

During this time, the dragon sent a few punches at a bag as he groaned, "Dad, this is too typical! Why can't you teach me any advanced techniques or tell me about any special moves I might have?"

"We've been through this, son," the stag replied, "Once the fight begins, you'll know. Your signature moves will literally come to you as if you had known them your whole life."

"That really doesn't make a lot of sense to me, but okay," Zygarde sighed as he resumed training, the reporter walking over to Xerneas and saying, "Excuse me, sir, but I have a question for you."

The stag blinked and turned toward the camera, asking, "Alright, what would you like to know?" the woman asking, "Now, from what I can gather, Zygarde here is supposedly the key to your enslavement of mankind. What if he loses this match? Then what?"

"Honestly, I don't think I need to answer that question," Xerneas remarked with a smirk, "Our son is so awesome, he's gonna wipe the floor with Machop. Believe you me, she and the world won't know what hit them," the reporter trying her hardest not to panic.

At that moment, a portion of the wall came open as one of Yveltal and Xerneas' servants entered and said, "I bring you Machop and her friends," the heroes and humans entering as Yveltal blinked and said, "Well, you came really early. I like that."

Machop had a serious look in her eyes as Xerneas said, "Damn. She means business. Maybe we should just start the match right now."

Zygarde blinked as Eiko bit her lower lip, not sure whether she liked this idea or not. On one hand, holding the match earlier would also likely bring this entire conflict to a close sooner but on the other hand, she still did not want to see Zygarde get hurt, at least not yet.

Luckily, it seemed this might not be an issue as Yveltal shook her head and stated, "We said the match would begin at noon and we will stick with that. Thus Machop here is free to use the remaining two hours however she wishes."

The girl nodded and let out a sigh, Xerneas pointing to some chairs made of hardened magma and saying, "Oh yeah, we made you some seats so you can at least be comfortable while you watch your hero fail," Isamu narrowing his eyelids and grunting, "Just you wait."

Eiko took a deep breath and squeaked, "Yeah, you may have bested Machop before, but that was only because you fought her late at night! She's the greatest fighter I've ever seen! No matter how bad things get, she always pulls through!"

Zygarde's eyes widened when he heard this, but not so much because he felt intimidated by her words but because somehow, they were bringing back memories that he did not even know he had. However, he shook his head and figured he must have imagined it. After all, his transformation had caused him to forget all about Machop and the others.

Either way, Rinko grinned and asked, "Hey, Machop, you want us to help you prepare for the match?" the girl nodding and replying, "Yeah. I could use a bit of training. After all, yesterday was the most active I've been in weeks."

Venipede implied a smile with his eyes and said, "Well, let's get started," the group heading toward the trap door leading to the third floor. After all, they would have much rather trained where Yveltal and Xerneas could not watch them, Torchic joining in as well.

As they left the area, Meloetta patted Eiko on the shoulder and smiled sweetly. This calmed the pink-haired girl down as Isamu nodded at her. He was just happy to see her showing as much support for Machop as she was. He figured it would be a bit longer before she could bring herself to do so.

However, while Eiko had come to terms with the fact that Machop would likely have to defeat Zygarde to change him back if possible, she still could not help but look at him with a sad look in her eyes. She wanted so badly to walk over to him and help remind him of who she was, but she had a feeling that doing so would only make things worse, especially with Xerneas and Yveltal watching over him.

For the next couple of hours, both Zygarde and Machop trained. However, with only twenty minutes to spare, the girl grinned at her friends and said, "Thanks for the help, guys, but I'll take it from here. You go join the others, alright?"

"You sure?" Torchic asked, "We still got some time left," as Rinko and Venipede turned to one-another and nodded, the centipede saying, "If she says she'll take it from here, she'll take it from here."

Rinko winked as the chicken soon realized what they meant and nodded, a smirk on her face as she said, "Right, of course. Kick some ass, alright?" before heading upstairs with the others, Machop smiling sweetly before taking a deep breath.

With this in mind, she reached into the handbag she had brought with her and pulled out the head and wrist bands she had worn for her match with Slurpuff. While she did not believe this would truly be the final battle to end this conflict, this still felt necessary as she placed them on, her confidence building by the second.

'I can see why Daddy always wore these to his biggest matches,' she thought, 'Just wearing these makes me feel like I can take on the gods themselves. I just know I can end this once and for all.'

It was not long until the twenty minutes were up, Xerneas standing next to the ring and pointing at the camera, exclaiming, "Ladies and gentlemen from all over the world, we are here today in Mount Sakurajima where the biggest match in ages is about to begin! In the red corner, representing us is a powerful dragon who's yet to bless the world with his skills! Presenting Zygarde!"

The dragon waved to the camera before saying, "Once this is over, you're next!" the reporter trembling as the cameraman nudged her.

Eiko bit her lower lip and gazed into the dragon's eyes when he turned toward her direction. Upon seeing her, he felt memories flood back into his mind before closing his eyes, Yveltal narrowing her eyelids before looking at Xerneas, the stag nodding.

"And in the blue corner, representing the heroes and citizens of the world is a fighter who has defeated many of us!" Xerneas exclaimed, "However, today's the day she suffers her third official failure on Earth, but dammit, she's trying anyway! Machop!"

"Goddammit, how arrogant can you get!?" Torchic growled as the others patted her on the shoulders, Venipede sighing, "Don't forget, we don't have a regular announcer for this match. This is the best we're gonna get."

With that, Machop opened up the trap door and marched toward the ring with her bands on, throwing her handbag over to the others as Isamu caught it, his cheeks bright pink. A big smile formed on his face as he exclaimed, "Looking good, Machop!"

"I have to admit, seeing those clothes again is pretty awesome," Eiko stated with a light smile of her own, the others clapping as Torchic shouted, "Yeah! Show him who's boss!"

She then turned to Eiko and uttered, "Um, I mean-" only for the pink-haired to shake her head and sigh, "I know this needs to be done, so I also hope she can pull this off," Meloetta nodding.

As Machop entered the ring, Zygarde blinked and said, "Wow, those are pretty snazzy clothes," as Machop smirked and replied, "Thanks. My Daddy wore them back in the day for his most important matches."

But just as the match was about to start, Yveltal smiled and said, "Since this match is really important, I think it only necessary to add to the atmosphere," as Xerneas nodded and pressed a button on the wall thus causing the ceiling to open up.

However, at that moment, Machop was shocked to look up and spot a helicopter with another one of Yveltal and Xerneas' followers inside of it. And soon enough, a hook was lowered as it latched onto Eiko, the girl's eyes wide open as she squeaked, "WHAT'S GOING ON!?"

"EIKO!" Isamu spat as he took hold of her only for the hook to rise up, the boy ultimately overpowered while the others gasped in horror. Had they been given more time to react, they would have jumped in to help out, but it was too late now as Eiko was too high for any of them to reach her.

Zygarde was just as shocked as the others as he asked, "Hey, Dad, what's going on?" as Xerneas smirked and explained, "Well, we figure having us a little hostage will help to make this match more interesting," before winking at Yveltal who added, "Yes, it helps raise the stakes. Besides, if we end at least one life in this match, the world will know just how terrifying we can truly be."

"WHAT!?" the others spat as suddenly a hole opened up in the floor, revealing a metal, cylindrical wall surrounding the area while Xerneas stated, "That pipe leads all the way to the magma that lies dormant in this volcano. Thus if Machop loses this match, we will drop the girl down the pit where she will be burned to a crisp."

Isamu's eyes twitched as Torchic spat, "What the hell, man!? Isn't the fate of the world enough!?" as Meloetta whimpered, Isamu barking, "Why did you pick my sister, anyway!? What made her such a standout!"

"Oh, no real reason," Yveltal replied with a shrug, "We're just a little old-fashioned when it comes to damsels in distress," all of Eiko's friends growling angrily as the pink-haired girl breathed heavily, trying to calm down. After all, Machop was the one fighting and she had only lost twice in her career. Surely she would not allow her to die.

Though unbeknownst to the heroes and even Zygarde, Xerneas and Yveltal had a completely different reason for this. Considering that Eiko was the one who hatched the dragon, they knew that she could likely change him back to the good guy he used to be. As such, they fully intended to kill her and prevent that from happening whether Machop won the match or not.

Even so, Machop now had even more of a reason to win this match, but could she do it? After all, Zygarde's abilities were unknown even to the dragon himself.


	88. Chapter 88

As if Machop having to defeat a former friend was not bad enough, now Eiko was being used as a hostage. Before, Yveltal and Xerneas were merely planning on enslaving the human race, not killing them. Now a life was on the line, meaning Machop had to win even more than she did before.

Zygarde was still surprised by this, but it was not long until he implied a smirk with his eyes, saying, "I have to admit, you are the coolest parents a guy could ask for. This is just so fiendish, I love it!"

Eiko tried not to tear up in response to hearing this as Yveltal smiled and replied, "Why, thank you, son. We only just came up with this plan this morning," Xerneas nodding and adding, "She's not lying."

Torchic gritted her teeth and growled, "I think I know exactly why they targeted Eiko," Isamu nodding and sighing, "Me too. At first, I wasn't too sure, but there's no doubt in my mind that they know something we don't. Please, Machop, show me those miracles that you always manage to bring."

Machop looked up at Eiko and thought, 'Don't worry about a thing. I'll defeat Kelani and restore his humanity, then you won't have to die.'

"Well, folks, I guess this is it!" Xerneas exclaimed with a big grin, "Let the match begin!" before ringing a bell, Machop wasting no time racing toward Zygarde.

The dragon was about to try and counter only to blink and utter, "Wait, what do I do?" the girl sending a karate chop into his neck.

Zygarde's eyes widened as he received another chop to his chest, Machop following it up with a roundhouse to his side. Eiko winced at the sight of this but tried her hardest not to let the girl know how much it pained her to see the dragon take in hits like these.

Xerneas blinked and turned to Yveltal, uttering, "Are you sure his abilities will just come to him?" the bird nodding and replying, "Just you wait. Soon enough, he'll start dominating this match."

It seemed less and less likely as Machop rammed her elbow into face, wrapping her arms around him and lifting him up, leaning backwards. Isamu and the others seated cheered as the boy exclaimed, "Great job, Machop! That's my girl!"

But just as it seemed like Zygarde would take in a suplex, his eyes widened as he sent his tail downward, smacking Machop in the face with the end. As if the counter was not enough, the part proved surprisingly strong as Machop released her hold on the dragon and fell on her back.

"That was awesome!" Zygarde exclaimed as he crossed his arms in front of his face, aiming them for Machop's neck while descending. And sure enough, the girl took in extreme pain from this as well as she let out a light wheeze.

Torchic blinked and uttered, "All that from two hits? Oh god, he really is as strong as they predicted."

Things only got worse as Zygarde wrapped his tail around Machop's neck, flinging her high into the air before leaping up to her level. With her back facing the mat, the dragon lifted up his arms and clenched his hands into fists, shouting, "Wow! I didn't know I was so amazing! You were right, Mom and Dad! These abilities just came to me!"

"You mean he's practically improvising his attacks?" Rinko uttered as Eiko bit her lower lip, Yveltal and Xerneas folding their arms and grinning with pride.

Both Zygarde and Machop had reached their maximum height as the dragon's fists started to glow green. He then proceeded to lift his lower body up while ramming the fists into Machop's gut, shouting, "LAND'S WRATH!" keeping them planted there while both descended toward the mat.

And sure enough, Machop's back made contact with it as she coughed up blood, her eyes and mouth wide open as a green explosion formed around her and Zygarde. It cleared pretty quickly as all of the girl's friends stared in horror at the sight of her lying there and twitching.

"OH MAN!" Zygarde exclaimed with an implied grin, looking at his hands, "I'M HARDCORE! I CAN'T WAIT TO SEE HOW MUCH MORE POWERFUL I'LL BE WHEN I'M AN ADULT!" Yveltal nodding and giving him a thumb up with her tail.

"Oh my god," Isamu uttered, trembling all over, "He's even more powerful that I thought he'd be," as Meloetta nodded and whimpered, "And I thought Yveltal and Xerneas were intimidating."

But just as it looked like the match had already come to a close, Zygarde's eyes widened as Machop coughed and rose to her feet, sighing, "I'll admit, that definitely threw her off guard, but this match is far from over yet. I don't know if you're aware of this, but my family can take in a lot of pain."

Torchic breathed a sigh of relief as Eiko smiled lightly, thinking, 'Of course that wouldn't be enough. Machop won't fall that easily, never again.'

Before Zygarde could even respond to Machop's recovery, the girl wasted no time flying toward him with her arm out and shouting, "MOON HOOK!" striking him hard in the neck. But rather than letting him fall on his back, she kept the arm there and swung herself around so she was behind the dragon. She then latched onto his chest and leapt into the air, leaning backward and planting the back of his head into the canvas.

"That's more like it!" Rinko exclaimed with a big grin, the others breathing a sigh of relief. After all, the last thing they wanted was for Machop of all heroes to lose quickly.

Unfortunately, just as soon as her advantage returned, it left her when Zygarde lifted up his tail, wrapping it around the arm clutching his chest. He then pried it off before flipping himself upright, throwing his tail downward thus lifting Machop over his head and causing her to release her hold on his neck. Her back then made contact with the canvas as as the dragon continued to hold onto her arm, flinging her high into the air.

"Oh god, not again!" Rinko groaned as Zygarde seemed to have something else in mind, lifting his arms up and clenching his hands into fists. The same green glow from before appeared as Machop's back made contact, the dragon shouting, "EARTH CRACKER!"

The name seemed fitting as everyone could hear Machop's backbone crack lightly, the girl crying out in pain as Zygarde spread out his arms and grabbed hold of her sides. He then lifted up his tail again and leaned backwards, planting the girl's face into the tip and shouting, "DRAGON TAIL SUPLEX!"

Blood was dripping from Machop's nostrils as Zygarde implied a smirk and threw his arms forward, flinging her onto her back. He then folded his arms and said, "This feels incredible. I never would have guessed owning a hero would be so awesome, but man, I wanna fight even more after this!"

"A dragon after my own heart," Xerneas sniffed as a light tear fell from his eye, Yveltal nodding and sighing, "Even as a teenager, he truly has what it takes. Maybe we don't need him to reach adulthood. He seems more than good enough as he is."

Machop grumbled and slowly pushed herself up as Zygarde sighed, "I guess it's true. You do have an incredible fighting spirit. But it doesn't matter. I feel like I can defeat twenty of you at once."

Isamu gritted his teeth and growled, "This is just painful! I can't stand to see him act like this!" Venipede nodding and sighing, "I know. He used to be so sweet."

Machop readied herself for more as Zygarde advanced toward her. But just as she was about to counter, he swerved to the side and sent his tail into her ribcage. The girl winced in pain as the dragon sped a small distance behind her and leapt at her with his arm out.

"MACHOP, LOOK OUT!" Torchic spat only for Machop to take the arm to the back of her neck, coughing up more blood and falling forward, her chin hitting the canvas. And things only got worse when Zygarde climbed onto her back, latching onto her chin with his hands and binding her legs in place with his tail.

"You'll never believe this, but this is my first time fighting," Zygarde stated with an implied smirk, Machop groaning as the others stared in horror.

They already figured this was the case after what the dragon had said earlier, but it still came as a shock. All of the other heroes had to learn their abilities, and even then, Venipede needed to wait even longer before mastering his mother's best moves.

"Also, that flying clothesline of yours is nothing special," Zygarde added, "As you can see, I learned it easily," applying more pressure to his grip as Machop cried out in agony, her back cracking even more.

Eiko bit her lower lip as she could not bear to watch this any longer. As such, she squeaked, "MACHOP, COME ON!" the girl blinking as she added, "You're always able to get out of tight spots like these! You've faced some of the toughest fighters out there and still came out on top! Are you really going to let this finish you off!?"

Once again, the pink-haired girl's words brought memories back to Zygarde as he started to loosen his grip. However, there was no way this was true, but before he could return the strength of his pull to what it was before, Machop used this chance to push herself up into an arch formation, forcing the dragon off of her back.

His eyes widened as she leapt above him, wrapping her legs around his neck. She then latched onto his wrists and spread out his arms, flipping ninety degrees so the dragon's head was facing the canvas.

Yveltal and Xerneas stared in shock as Machop exclaimed, "MUSCLE TOMBSTONE!" Zygarde hitting the mat hard as the girl released her hold, allowing him to collapse while the others cheered.

Eiko breathed a sigh of relief as a light smile formed on her face. She figured if anything, one of Machop's most powerful slams could surely snap Zygarde out of his current state and restore him to his old self.

The others thought the same thing as they watched in silence, Zygarde grumbling as he pushed himself back up. However, he still had a look of confidence in his eyes as he said, "That was an impressive move. I can't believe I'm still standing after that. I really am awesome."

Machop stared in stunned silence as Yveltal asked, "Did you really think just two of your signature moves would be enough to defeat him?" as the girl uttered, "Well, no, but I was kinda hoping that would restore his memories or something."

"Wait, what?" Zygarde asked as Xerneas sighed, "Don't try to confuse us with your strange words. Zygarde has all of his memories of the time spent living with us, right?"

The dragon nodded and replied, "Of course. I've always lived here," as Eiko bit her lower lip. Now she was even more worried. What if Zygarde could not remember his time spent under the name Kelani? What if Machop was left with no choice but to knock him senseless or, even worse, kill him?

Even so, it seemed the dragon would not allow this as he advanced toward Machop. However, there was no way she would fall victim to another one of his moves, thus she dodged to the side and sent a roundhouse into his side. Unfortunately, Zygarde ignored the pain and latched onto her ankle, saying, "I may not be able to resist pain like Volcanion, but I can at least handle a wimpy kick."

He then proceeded to stand on the tip of his tail and spin around, said part glowing green as he headed toward the turnbuckle. Machop braced herself as he exclaimed, "EARTH CYCLONE!" sending her head repeatedly into the top of the pole, drawing more blood from her.

"COME ON, MACHOP!" Eiko squeaked, "YOU'VE DEALT WITH WORSE!" more memories starting to flash in Zygarde's mind as he groaned, releasing his hold on Machop as she grabbed onto the turnbuckle. She then used this chance to lift herself up and spin herself around, sending her feet into the side of the dragon's neck.

Torchic breathed a sigh of relief as Isamu grinned and exclaimed, "Way to go!"

However, Yveltal and Xerneas could tell that comeback was not completely Machop's doing, and it was the same deal with when she escaped from Zygarde's submission hold. Somehow, Eiko had managed to distract him with her words alone, thus it seemed she was even more of a threat. But if the villains dropped her down the pit now, Zygarde would most likely question such a decision and ask why a mere human with no fighting skills threatened them so much.

Machop fully intended to take advantage of this moment as she dashed behind Zygarde, taking hold of his wrists and leaping into the air. She then wrapped the lower half of her legs around his tail and pulled back, starting to spin as the dragon's eyes widened. Yveltal and Xerneas gasped at the sight of this as this was still one of the Mach family's best finishers.

The others cheered wildly as the reporter exclaimed, "Alright, Machop's gonna use that infamous Muscle Tornado! This'll likely put an end to this match for sure!" before blinking and uttering, "Oh yeah, I'm not actually commentating on this."

But while Machop really hoped the reporter's words were correct, she also prayed that this would snap Zygarde out of his evil state. The last thing she wanted to do was injure him any further. But as she spun and flipped herself one-hundred-and-eighty degrees, her friends, the reporter and the cameraman all stared in shock when they noticed Zygarde's green scales start glowing.

Suddenly, a pair of black legs formed with two green hexagons on each toe and knee, bigger, white hexagons between them. Machop's eyes widened as he latched them to her own legs, using all his might to flip ninety degrees forward. As a result, Machop's belly was now facing the canvas as it soon made contact, all going silent as she coughed up blood, the dragon releasing his hold.

Suddenly, his torso changed to one was that more human-like save for his chest, which now resembled big armour. His body was mostly black with a green line down the middle. His tail also changed black save for a single patch in the middle of it. He also had two green hexagonal eye-like formations on his chest along with a blue, white, orange and red squiggly line underneath.

"What's going on?" Isamu uttered, Eiko trembling in terror as Yveltal let down a light tear, sniffing, "I knew this would happen, but I wasn't expecting it so soon."

Things only seemed to get worse as Zygarde's shoulders became round, his arms now thinner while his forearms were slightly wider. Green hexagons surrounded the end of each hand with three white claws under them.

His head also changed, now resembling a knight helmet with two white eyes and four green hexagons that resembled a mouth. And attached to each shoulder were two long appendages that looked like thin wings. On the right side were blue undulating patterns, red ones on the left.

It was not long until Zygarde noticed this change, looking at his hands and feeling his new head, asking, "What's going on?" before gasping, "My voice! It's deeper!"

"That's because you've just become an adult," Yveltal replied, "As I explained yesterday, I only needed one more hour for my power to change you. That means without my influence, you only needed a little less than a day's time, and it would seem that time has come. Welcome to adulthood, Zygarde."

Eiko's eyes and mouth widened as Isamu groaned, "Oh no! Why!?" Torchic trembling and uttering, "If what we keep hearing is correct, he's supposed to be stronger now."

Venipede and Rinko hugged one-another as Meloetta took a deep breath and said, "It's okay. Knowing Machop, she can still turn this around, right? She always pulls through."

Unfortunately, it seemed unlikely as while Machop managed to stand, she looked really weak. She was breathing heavily while holding onto her knees, staring up at Zygarde with a helpless look in her eyes. She may have gotten over the fact that she had to fight him seriously before the match even started, but now she could not help but wonder if that was good enough.

"I'll admit," Zygarde said with a devious smile, "You've actually managed to entertain me throughout most of this match. I'm actually kinda glad you keep getting up. It only makes my inevitable victory so much more satisfying."

Machop gritted her teeth and retorted, "Look, I don't care how much stronger you are! I can't let you help Yveltal and Xerneas take over! I also can't allow Eiko to suffer any longer, so don't think for a minute that you have this match in the bag!"

With that in mind, she raced toward the now humanoid dragon and sent a karate chop into his chest. She then dashed behind him and wrapped her arms around him, lifting him up and leaning backward, planting the back of his head into the canvas while the others smiled.

"Thank god," Isamu sighed, "She's still putting up a good fight," only for Torchic to utter, "I hate to burst your bubble, but look."

The boy soon realized what she meant as Zygarde chuckled. That chuckle soon expanded into a big laugh as he shouted, "Oh my god! This is incredible! I didn't feel a thing!"

"What!?" Machop spat as the dragon proceeded to shift his body, forcing her to let go of him. He then wrapped his tail around her and performed a handstand, allowing himself to fall backward thus planting the area just below the girl's shoulders into the mat.

As if the hit alone was not enough, this was even more painful than the majority of the moves Zygarde had used up to this point. And it did not end there as lifted Machop up, sending an onslaught of punches into her face as it started to bleed even more.

"THIS IS THE GREATEST THRILL EVER!" he exclaimed as ended his assault, Machop now struggling to maintain focus. There was no doubt about it. Zygarde really was the biggest threat to mankind and Machop would need a miracle to defeat him.

After looking at her long enough, the dragon nodded and said, "Yep, you're weak enough. Guess I may as well finish this," Eiko squeaking, "COME ON, MACHOP! I KNOW YOU CAN DO IT!" the others nodding and standing up, chanting her name as Xerneas and Yveltal laughed.

"That may have helped her many times over the past, but not this time," Yveltal stated, and it seemed so as for the first time ever, Machop was unable to recover. She still found herself wobbling back and forth while trying her hardest not to pass out, her eyelids half-closed already.

Seeing as she could no longer fight back, the line on Zygarde's chest opened up, revealing itself to be a second mouth. Inside were five cores, each with a different colour. The one on the far right was purple with the one next to it being blue. In the middle was a white one followed by an orange core, a red one on the far left side.

"Machop, don't let him hit you!" Isamu spat, tears forming, "I know you can handle more damage than this!" the girl trying her hardest not to let all the damage to her face get to her.

Unfortunately, it was too late as the ends of the appendages came open, taking the form of snake heads. They shot forward before biting into Machop's shoulders, the girl wincing from the pain but feeling too weak to so much as let out a cry. And things only got worse when she was flung high into the air, Zygarde leaping up to her level.

Once high enough, he had the appendages bite into Machop's ankles, pulling them as far to the side as he could and held her over his head. He lifted his arms to take hold of her hands, spreading her arms out while lifting up his legs and wrapping them around the area just below her shoulders. With that, he had her body lowered just enough as he descended toward the mat, Yveltal and Xerneas smiling while everyone else watched in horror.

"LAND'S VENGEANCE!" the dragon exclaimed as the back of Machop's neck hit the canvas hard, the girl coughing up the most blood she had ever released. Her eyes rolled to the back of her head as Zygarde released his hold on her, allowing her to collapse as it truly seemed like this was it.

"MACHOP!" Isamu and Eiko exclaimed as the girl was not even breathing. However, there was no doubt that this match was over as Xerneas rang the bell, exclaiming, "And after a rather intense match, our son, Zygarde, has won!"

Those words were all Isamu needed to hear as he raced toward the ring, climbing into it and kneeling down in front of Machop, uttering, "Are you alright?" the others staring as Eiko bit her lower lip.

Zygarde folded his arms and implied a smirk, saying, "Don't feel too bad. She actually did a pretty good job," the boy ignoring this as he rested his head against Machop's chest, his eyes widening as he turned to the others, breathing heavily.

"Guys..." he uttered, his body tensing up as even Yveltal and Xerneas looked shocked, the boy taking more deep breaths before saying, "Machop's heart has stopped."

For whatever reason, hearing these words led to Zygarde's eyes widening. He stared silently and twitched all over, but why would he feel bad about this? After all, he was a villain and it was a villain's job to make sure heroes could not stop him no matter what.

But of course, the people most devastated were all of Machop's friends. Eiko did not even care about the fact that she was still tied up and likely to be dropped in a pit of magma. She refused to believe for a minute that Machop of all heroes had just been killed.

But was this really the case? Was Machop really dead? Had Yveltal and Xerneas' plan succeeded?


	89. Chapter 89

This day could not have been any worse. Not only had Machop lost the match but Zygarde had killed her. As if it was not enough for Isamu's sister to be at risk of death, now he had lost the only person who made him openly happy to be alive in ages.

He let down tears and sniffed, Yveltal folding her arms and sighing, "I wanted her alive so she could potentially serve us after our conquest, but this is fine. Not only does this remove a possible threat but with the world champion dead, the other heroes might very well be afraid to try and face us."

"Yeah, as awesome as busting in some heroic skulls can be, I would like to relax after becoming a world leader," Xerneas added, though both quickly noticed that Zygarde did not seem as happy about this as they did, but why? Surely he meant to do that, did he not?

"Oh god, no!" Venipede cried out, slapping his upper arms against the sides of his head, "I can't believe it! I just can't believe it!" breathing heavily as Rinko held him in a tight embrace, patting his back with tears in her eyes as she sniffed, "There, there, she wouldn't want us to freak out. She wouldn't-" before breaking out into heavy wailing.

Meloetta trembled and breathed heavily, trying her hardest to contain herself as Eiko did not even seem to care about her own predicament. It was bad enough losing one friend already, but Machop was special to her. She and her family were the pink-haired girl's biggest heroes. She had always looked up to them, so to see the entire era come to an end was beyond heartbreaking.

The reporter could not help but tear up as even the cameraman whimpered, the woman stepping in front of the camera and sniffing, "As you've just witnessed and heard, folks, Machop, the best hero Tokyo has had in years, is dead."

Needless to say, those watching this on TV were just as devastated as everyone who was there in person to witness this. Delphox's jaw was dropped, her eyes set to stunned while Fletchinder gritted her teeth, more angered by this than anything else.

Gigalith, who had been by Sneasel's side while she slept in the hospital, let down light tears and gave an army salute. And as if that was not enough, Jackalu and Clawitzer had recovered just in time to see this, both staring wide-eyed at the TV screen. And one could only guess how Vigoroth and Gallador would take this after finding out.

And of course it was not just them. In his assigned area, Chesnaught witnessed this and could not believe his eyes. The same girl who had shattered his helmet after he came so close to beating her lost.

Noboru and Hana were watching this as well as they hugged one-another, the woman crying into the man's shoulder. After all, they had been alive when Machoke and Gardevoir became the tag team champions, so to see their daughter of all people suffer this fate was truly horrific.

But those taking this much worse were Lairon, Garchomp and Eri. Even the dog could tell what was going up as she let out a big howl toward the ceiling, the dragon and dinosaur breathing heavily, hoping that Machop really had survived and that her heart stopping was only temporary.

But most of all, Machoke and Gardevoir themselves had also watched this as big tears formed in the man's eyes. And after enough time, he broke out into heavy waterworks and exclaimed, "NO, IT'S NOT TRUE, GARDEVOIR! SHE'S NOT DEAD! SHE'S JUST FAKING IT!" as Gardevoir wrapped her arms around his left one and sniffed, soon bawling just as loud as he was and holding him in a tight embrace.

Isamu turned to face Yveltal and sniffed, "Look, Yveltal, before you enslave us all, I have one last request. Can you please forget the deal you made and spare my sister's life? I can't bare to lose another person today, especially when both these girls are so special to me."

Eiko bit her lower lip and stared at Zygarde, mostly shocked by the fact that he of all beings had done this. But when she noticed how much this seemed to be hurting him inside, her sadness seemed to briefly leave her, her jaw dropping slightly.

Yveltal and Xerneas had been more focused on this themselves as they could tell keeping her alive any longer could potentially ruin everything. As such, the bird folded her arms and sighed, "I'm sorry, kid, I'd love to let your sister live so she can serve us, but a deal is a deal," before exclaiming, "Hey, Shedinja, drop her!"

The one driving the helicopter nodded before pressing a button as the hook holding Eiko came open, causing her to fall toward the hole that led to the magma. Isamu turned to face her and spat, "EIKO!" rising up and leaping out of the ring, sprinting toward her even though he knew he nor any of the others were close enough to make it.

But just as all seemed lost, Zygarde suddenly snapped back to reality and narrowed his eyes, shouting, "NO!" before leaping toward the area in question and flying into Eiko, holding her in a tight embrace and falling sideways against the floor. Everyone else stared in shock as the dragon took many deep breaths, rising to his feet with a big smile and asking, "Are you okay, Mommy?"

Isamu stared wide-eyed and rubbed his eyes, uttering, "Is this really happening? I'm not imagining this, right?" the others just as shocked as he was while Eiko slowly opened her eyes, Yveltal and Xerneas shaking their heads. Despite their best efforts, the pink-haired girl had still managed to ruin their plans entirely, but how was anyone's guess.

She stared with her eyes wide open and uttered, "Kelani?" Zygarde nodding and childishly exclaiming, "Yay! You remember me!" before holding her in a tight embrace, Xerneas and Yveltal covering their eyes, refusing to watch this any further.

Eiko bit her lower lip and let down tears before sniffing and crying, "THANK GOD! AT LEAST SOMETHING GOOD HAPPENED TODAY!" wrapping her arms around him and patting him on the back, "You really scared me!"

Zygarde let out a sigh and replied, "I know," before releasing his hold on her, "I've been a really bad boy, haven't I?"

While it was weird hearing an adult say that in such a deep voice, the others could not help but feel touched by all of this. After having two friends die, it was nice to see something as glorious as this happen. Despite everything leaning away from this outcome, 'Kelani' was finally back.

"Son?" Yveltal uttered, holding her hand out as the dragon turned to face her and retorted, "Shut up! You may have laid my egg, but you're not my real mommy!" the bird taken aback as he looked at Machop.

He then rose to his feet and sighed, "Now, if you'll excuse me, there's one last thing I need to do," the others staring at him as he opened up his chest, saying, "It's not Machop's time to die, not yet."

The others stared in confusion as Eiko asked, "Wait, can you revive her?" the dragon nodding with a smile as Yveltal snapped, "No, Zygarde, I don't care if you've decided to turn on us! I simply cannot allow this! Do you even know what will happen to you!?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact, I do," Zygarde retorted with his arms folded, Eiko and Isamu staring at him as the pink-haired girl uttered, "What do you mean? What's going to happen?"

The dragon turned to Eiko with a light smile and knelt down to her level, saying, "Before I go through with this, I just wanna tell you how wonderful my life has been. I'm glad you were the one to hatch my egg and raise me since birth."

"Wait, what!?" Eiko squeaked, shaking her head as Torchic groaned, "Oh, shit. I think I know what's going on," Meloetta trembling as Rinko and Venipede looked down, Isamu shaking his head.

"I mean it," Zygarde added with tears welling up in his eyes, "Though my time was short, it was a lot of fun. You taught me many things, showed me so many fun activities and, well, you were a better mommy than I ever could have asked for. Thank you so much for giving me a great life."

He then turned to face the others and added, "And thank you all for being such amazing friends. It's been fun."

Eiko's eyes and mouth were stuck wide open as she shook her head before crying, "NO! THERE HAS TO BE ANOTHER WAY! THIS ISN'T FAIR!" the pink-haired girl embracing Zygarde as he patted her on the back, the cores on his chest flying out of him and circling around Machop.

Xerneas stared in stunned silence as Yveltal spat, "NO, MY SON!" feeling choked up herself now. She knew that he would have likely fought against her either way, but the last thing any mother wanted was to outlive her children, regardless of which side they fought for.

Eiko continued to bawl like a baby as Zygarde's body started to vanish, beginning with the tip of his tail. His smile brightened as he said, "Don't be sad, Mommy. I'll always be with you in spirit," the girl forcing a grin and sniffing, "Okay. I'll try to be happy for you. Goodbye, Kelani."

"Bye, Mommy," Zygarde replied as after a few seconds, his entire body vanished, Eiko falling to her knees and whimpering, "It's okay. I'll be strong for you, Kelani. I won't let this get the better of me."

Meloetta clasped her hands over her mouth while Rinko and Venipede patted one-another on the shoulder. Torchic was trying her hardest not to cry as she knew the dragon did not want her to.

Isamu was just about to walk over and comfort Eiko when suddenly, he heard a familiar voice grumble, "Oh, god, what happened?" the boy slowly turning to see Machop rise to her feet, breathing heavily with her eyes wide open and gasping, "Oh my god! I thought I was dead!"

She then looked around at everyone, Isamu smiling wide and racing toward the ring, climbing into it once more. He then ran over to Machop and held her in a tight embrace, exclaiming, "OH, THANK GOD! IT WORKED! IT ACTUALLY WORKED!" the boy showering her neck in kisses as she laughed lightly and patted him on the back.

"Whoa, boy, what are you talking about?" she asked, "What worked?" as Isamu blinked and took a deep breath, letting go and sighing, "Well, Machop, your assumption isn't wrong. You were actually killed back there."

"Wait, what!?" the girl spat, looking at her hands and feeling her head before uttering, "And yet I'm alive right now. Seriously, what happened?"

Before anyone could answer, she realized something as she looked around, gasping, "Hey, um, where did Kelani go? Did he escape!? Is he off to wreak havoc on the world!?" before noticing Yveltal and Xerneas looking down.

"Well, about that," Isamu replied with a sigh as Eiko approached the ring and smiled with tears still in her eyes, sniffing, "He felt like he was doing the right thing. He gave up his life for yours. It's just as I thought. He really was a gentle soul to the end."

Machop's eyes and mouth widened as she did not even stop to question why Eiko was okay. Even the pilot of the helicopter, Shedinja, let down a light tear, sighing, "What am I doing with my life?"

The reporter tried her best not to start choking up herself while talking about all of this, Machop letting down tears of her own and whimpering, "I'm so sorry, Eiko. If I had won that match-"

"Mm-mm," the pink-haired girl replied, shaking her head, "You did the best you could. I'm just happy you're alive. Kelani wouldn't want us to be sad," as Meloetta nodded and tried her hardest to stay calm.

But just as the group was ready to at least set up a funeral for the dragon, Yveltal gritted her teeth and growled, "Fine! Whatever!" Xerneas staring wide-eyed and uttering, "Honey, are you okay?"

"I'm just peachy!" she retorted, "Alright, so we lost Zygarde! Big deal! You know what!? We'll just take over this planet without him! I'm sure that's what the real Zygarde would have wanted!"

"Oh shit, I forgot about those two," Machop uttered as she slowly turned to them, Yveltal pointing and growling, "Don't think for a minute that you're going to get your bittersweet ending! You still have us to deal with!" Xerneas nodding and adding, "If any of you wanna join her, be our guest. We'll defeat each and every one of you and finish what our son started!"

Machop tensed up and remarked, "Hold on! We've been through a lot here! Can't you give us some time to prepare!?" only for Xerneas to retort, "No! The idea was to end all of this once and for all today and we're gonna do that! We're not like other villains who follow some weak ass code of honour! As long as there's still someone who can threaten our plans, we'll take care of that person!"

Machop tensed up as Torchic stepped forward and said, "Don't worry, Machop. We're not gonna let Kelani's sacrifice be in vain! I'll fight next to you!" Meloetta adding, "And if she loses, I'll take her place!" Rinko and Venipede stepping forward and exclaiming, "Don't count us out!"

But before Machop could agree to this, a deep, booming voice entered the area, shouting, "WAIT!" the cameraman pointing his camera up as his eyes widened, the reporter gasping as well as a UFO with a big letter M on the front appeared.

"Is that the Mars logo?" the reporter uttered as the cameraman replied, "You mean the planet or the chocolate company?"

The others continued to stare as the voice stated through what sounded like a speaker system, "I will be Machop's partner for this match!" the girl blinking and uttering, "Do any of you know anyone with that voice?"

The others shrugged as Eiko scratched her head, saying, "It sounds kind of familiar, but I'm not sure either," Yveltal and Xerneas both looking rather annoyed by this. All they could do was hope that whoever was on board would not be too much of a help for Machop.

Soon enough, the door opened up as a ramp came down, a set of glowing red eyes forming in the blackened doorway. When a thick grey dinosaur-like foot with gold claws emerged, Eiko gasped as she now realized where she had heard that voice.

The rest of the body followed to reveal a tall, grey dragon with three gold half-rings around his neck. Thick black stripes and thin red ones ran vertically along his front side and he had a pair of ghostly black wings with three red spikes.

"Oh my god," Machop uttered as Isamu asked, "Um, is that who I think it is?"

The reporter confirmed his suspicions as she grinned at the camera and exclaimed, "Alright, folks, we are seeing a real legend here! Coming down the ramp right now is the great, powerful Giratina, a villain that only the mighty Arceus was able to defeat back in the day! He was later revived but was beaten by Machoke! And now he seems to have volunteered to be Machop's ally in this battle!"

Yveltal and Xerneas stared in horror, the stag uttering, "Um, no one told me we'd have to fight him," as the bird took a deep breath and calmed down, replying, "It's okay. This might actually benefit us to a certain degree."

Machop and the others stared in shock and amazement as Giratina walked down the ramp and stood before the girl, saying, "I have to say, it's a pleasure to finally meet the daughter of the man who changed my life for the better. I've been watching your matches in my spare time and I have to admit, you are certainly worthy of the family name."

"Um, thanks, Mister Giratina, sir," Machop uttered, her cheeks flushed pink as she could not help but feel nervous. However, the dragon chuckled and said, "Come now, I'd rather not be treated like a celebrity. I'm merely here to pay back a favour to your father that I've owed him for years."

"No offence, but how can we not make a big deal out of this?" Venipede asked, "Not only are you well-known, but you're the king of Mars," the others save for Rinko staring at him and remarking, "What!?"

"So, wait, this is really happening?" Machop asked, "You're actually going to fight alongside me," the dragon nodding and replying, "Yes. See, we get Earth's news on a special channel that only rich folks like me can afford, and when I saw that you were going to face Zygarde, I had no doubt in my mind you would also have to fight Yveltal and Xerneas. Thus I got here as quickly as I could."

"Wow, that's amazing," Torchic uttered with a light smile, "He'll make for a much better ally than any of us," Machop about to protest only for Meloetta to say, "I don't really know him, but he looks strong."

Venipede nodded and replied, "Yeah. You have no idea how hard it was for Machoke to defeat him," Rinko adding, "And it's just as that reporter said. He was so powerful back in the day that only Arceus, a hero whose power was unmatched by pretty much everyone, could best him in combat."

Eiko nodded with a big grin, squealing, "She could not have asked for a better ally!" only for Yveltal to say, "Well, maybe back in his prime, or, hell, even when he fought Machoke."

Machop blinked and turned to the bird, retorting, "What do you mean by that?" as Xerneas sighed, "Come on, even back then, the only reason Machoke matched blows with him so well was because his strength had deteriorated due to the fact that he was, well, dead for almost a hundred years. How old are you now, Giratina?"

Machop tensed up as she realized they had a point. After all, it was a known fact that the dragon was thirty-two when he died.

The dragon let out a sigh and nodded, saying, "That's right. I'm sixty now and I turn sixty-one next week," as Xerneas smirked, folded his arms and stated, "You were right, Yveltal. This is more beneficial than detrimental."

The younger heroes and their humans friends looked worried now as Machop sighed, "Giratina, I appreciate this offer, but you know, it's not like I can't choose the others," only for the dragon to shake his head and reply, "You have all done your part. And don't assume that I'm weak just because of my age. See, that was not the issue when I fought Machoke. The problem was that because I'd been dead all that time, I was unable to train and keep my strength as high as it used to be. However, since then, I've been working hard for the day when I would have to step into the ring again."

Now Yveltal and Xerneas were uncertain as Machop turned to the others, all of them feeling the same. But even so, there was no doubt that Giratina had made his decision as the girl looked into his eyes, seeing a great fire within. With all said and done, she now realized that this was right as she nodded and squealed, "It'll be an honour fighting alongside you!" the dragon smiling.

Yveltal smirked and folded her arms, saying, "Well, then, I guess an agreement has been reached. This shall be our final battle," Xerneas looking at the reporter to let her know that he wanted her cameraman to record all of this.

Torchic nodded and said, "Well, you heard the girl," and thus returned to her seat along with the others. Needless to say, this would not be easy, but Machop was confident that she and Giratina could win and save mankind from enslavement. There was no way they would let Zygarde's sacrifice be in vain.


	90. Chapter 90

With Yveltal and Xerneas as the only threats left, Machop felt more than ready, especially with the legendary Giratina on her side. There was no doubt in her mind that she would win this time. After all, Zygarde had sacrificed himself to give her this chance and she refused to waste it.

"Well, seeing as this will be our final match, I feel it only fair to give you two a half-hour to prepare yourselves," Xerneas stated, "After all, Machop, you just lost a match prior to this. Kind of funny seeing the world champion lose twice in less than a week."

Machop frowned as Giratina patted her on the shoulder and said, "Don't let it get to you. That's what they want. Try to stay focused on the match and nothing else."

"Right," the girl replied with a sigh as she and the dragon headed toward the trap door so they could ready themselves in private. All the while, Eiko watched them and asked, "You don't think Yveltal and Xerneas are right about him being weaker, do you?"

"Well, I have no doubt age has probably taken a toll on him," Torchic replied, "but keep in mind, Giratina almost defeated Machoke in his thirties after having spent years losing half his strength. If anything, he'll probably still be strong enough to stand up to these two, especially since they don't exactly have youth on their side either."

"Still, they did beat us pretty easily," Venipede uttered as Rinko sighed, "Don't remind me."

"Either way, we've seen Machop pull off all kinds of miracles before," Isamu stated, "And I trust Giratina. He may be old now, but that also makes him experienced. I just really hope this is enough, though. Even without their son helping them out, these two are still threatening."

All the while, Machop threw a few punches forward as Giratina smiled and said, "It's nice to know you're not letting your loss to Zygarde get to you."

"Yeah, you don't need to worry about me," the girl replied with a grin, "After all, I don't know if you've heard, but I lost my first match here on Earth, but looking back, I'm kinda glad I did."

The dragon opened an eye wider to imply raising a brow as she added, "It helped me realize that my way of going about fighting was all wrong. I used to rely on nothing but pure strength, but then Lairon taught me how to strategize. And while I lost to Yveltal when I first fought her, I got a good idea of how she fights."

"Well, that's a good thing," Giratina replied with a grin, "You learned that long before your father did," the girl blinking as he added, "I don't know all the details, but from what I've heard, Machoke wasn't exactly super serious about fighting until his loss to Lucario. Supposedly, that match opened his eyes and made him see just how serious his job really was. He realized that he wasn't the undefeated powerhouse that he seemed to be."

Machop blinked and nodded, replying, "I've heard that he wasn't always the most mature of fighters back in his prime, but I didn't think he was that bad. And just think, he only lost one match in his entire career. If he can pull off something like that, I'm pretty sure I can too."

Giratina nodded with a smile as the duo spent the next little while sparring. After all, they needed to be ready for this match as they could not allow Yveltal and Xerneas to continue to terrorize people.

Once the half-hour was up, it was finally time as Xerneas and Yveltal stood by a corner. As it so happened, they had just about threatened the reporter to announce them only for her to agree to it with no trouble. After all, when would she get a chance like this again?

"Alright, ladies and gentlemen at home, it's time for the main event!" she exclaimed with a grin, "This match could very well decide the fate of the world as we know it!"

And sure enough, people from around the globe had gathered to watch this match upon hearing about it. Companies decided to put their businesses on hold just for this event, some even giving the rest of their employees the day off.

Of course, the heroes still in the hospital really hoped Machop and Giratina could win, Jackalu and Clawitzer nodding with serious looks on their faces. Gallador, Garbodor and Vigoroth had also woken up to see this, all of them wishing they could be there in person to cheer their friend on.

Of course, Noboru and Hana were glued to the TV as the man sighed, "Oh man, this is intense. And here I thought Machoke and Gardevoir going up against Hoopa and Diancie was exciting."

Hana nodded and replied, "I know. But either way, I just know Machop can win this. I still can't believe she's fighting alongside Giratina. It's like some avid fan's dream come true," both humans staring silently at the TV screen.

And of course, there was no way Lairon, Garchomp and Eri would not watch this. The collie looked a tad worried after having witnessed Machop die, but Lairon ruffled the fur atop her head and said, "Hey, it'll be fine. If I know Machop, she won't let herself fall again."

Garchomp nodded and grinned, adding, "Yeah. She has so many close calls but always pulls through when it really counts. She may not have quite the track record her father had, but I have faith in her."

"In the red corner," the reporter stated, "representing the forces of evil and having already proven themselves a real force to be reckoned with, the mighty, terrifying, uh..."

She then turned toward Xerneas and Yveltal as the bird called out, "Call us Life's Destruction!" the reporter blinking before shrugging her shoulders and exclaiming, "Life's Destruction!"

With that, Yveltal lifted Xerneas up by his antlers and took to the sky, flying toward the ring. Once above it, she descended as both landed with their arms spread out, making a face similar to that of a totem pole. Even if they were on the side of good, though, there was barely anyone there who could have possibly cheered them on, so they simply imagined a crowd applauding them.

"Wow, I actually wasn't expecting them to put on a show," Torchic uttered as Meloetta nodded and said, "Yeah, I thought they'd be too serious for that."

"And in the blue corner," the reporter yelled, "fighting for the fate of the world are two very unexpected allies! One is the world champion who has done nothing but impress us time and time again! And though she has lost a few times in her career, she still stands strong as Tokyo's greatest hero! The other is a dragon who once terrorized the world but now fights for peace! Though currently the king of Mars, he has taken time out of his busy schedule to help us out in our time of need! Presenting The Phantom Muscles!"

With that, Giratina and Machop emerged from the trap door and walked toward the ring. Unlike the villains, they did not set up a big spectacle. After all, Machoke always treated his final matches as the most serious moments of his life. If anything, it only made sense for his daughter to do the same.

Once they entered, Yveltal folded her arms and said, "I have to admit, I was disappointed when our son used his life to resurrect you, but I'm actually glad we have a chance to face you at the same time. Not to mention fighting the legendary Giratina is a huge honour in itself."

"Cut the chatter already," Giratina remarked, "We have a match right now. Try to stay focused," Machop nodding as Xerneas sighed, "Yeah, he's right. The sooner we end this, the more the world will fear us."

With that in mind, both teams headed to separate sides of the ring as Yveltal turned to the reporter and said, "Any time you're ready," the woman nodding and signalling the start of the match.

Machop held her ground along with Giratina as Yveltal gasped, "You're giving us the first move!? How sweet of you!" before flying toward the dragon while Xerneas rushed at Machop.

Once both opponents were close, Machop knelt down and took hold of Xerneas' leg, using all her might to force him into his back. She then wrapped her own legs around it as he let out a cry of pain, his head shifting back and forth.

Things only looked better when Giratina sent a hard punch into Yveltal's face, aiming another one at the same spot. But just as it was about to hit, the bird easily took hold of his hand and asked, "Is that it?"

Xerneas, meanwhile, stopped wailing after a while as he smirked and said, "Just kidding. This is nothing I can't handle," before bending his free leg back, sending it forward into Machop's chin. As if that was not enough, this proved powerful enough to cause her to release her hold on him as he rose up and leapt into the air, planting his hooves into her gut.

The others stared in shock as Xerneas proceeded to send rapid kicks into the same spot, Machop coughing and wheezing in response to each hit. And things seemed worse as Giratina received a hard punch to his face followed by one to his gut. Yveltal then flapped her arms and lifted herself into the air, sending her tail fist downward and into the dragon's face.

Eiko could not believe what she was seeing as Giratina was already coughing up blood, Yveltal using her tail's claws to clutch onto his head. She then used all her might to force him downward, ramming his face into the canvas.

"Don't feel too proud of yourself for that first punch," she said with a smirk, "I merely let you hit me so I could gauge your strength. You really have gotten weaker with age," the dragon gritting his teeth before turning toward Machop.

It seemed neither hero was going to let up so easily as Machop lifted up her arms, taking hold of Xerneas' ankles as he smirked and said, "I was wondering when you'd try that."

With that, he leapt into the air, carrying a spellbound Machop with him as Giratina spat, "NO!" only for Yveltal to take to the sky, clenching her tail hand into a fist. She then descended toward the dragon only for his wings to split apart in three separate string-like fragments each. And once the bird was close enough, he bent them backwards thus sending them into her tail, her eyes wide open as he rose to his feet, slamming her back into the mat.

The others cheered as Xerneas flipped two-hundred-and-seventy degrees, aiming Machop's face toward the mat. But just as it seemed like he was about to land the ultimate frankensteiner, Giratina flew up to his level and exclaimed, "I DON'T THINK SO!" ramming his skull into the stag's cheek.

Xerneas' eye widened as Giratina swerved around to Xerneas' back, pushing hard against it and forcing him to fall forward. And since Machop was still clutching onto his ankles, this only made things worse for him as his chin hit the mat hard.

"YEAH!" Eiko squealed as the others joined in, Torchic breathing a sigh of relief and saying, "Seems Giratina's still got some fight in him."

Machop released her hold on Xerneas as Yveltal rose to her feet, gasping, "Are you alright!?" the stag slowly rising to his feet and sighing, "It's fine, honey. You know I can handle far worse than that."

Machop, all the while, took many deep breaths and uttered, "Oh my god. My counter would have failed if you hadn't helped," as Giratina sighed, "Don't let that get you down, okay? After all, this is a team effort. There's no shame in getting help from your partner during such a match."

The girl nodded as Xerneas knelt down and started counting with his hooves, barking, "Don't get too confident!" his antlers glowing as Yveltal flapped her arms and rose into the air again, a red light surrounding her body.

"Oh god, I know exactly what's coming," Machop uttered as Giratina nodded and readied his wings, saying, "I know what they're doing too. After all, I saw you and Meloetta fight them on TV."

Machop nodded as she took a deep breath, knowing she would need to be ready as Yveltal flew toward Giratina, shouting, "OBLIVION WING!" Xerneas charging at Machop and barking, "GEOMANCY STAMPEDE!"

The dragon immediately took to the sky only for the bird to redirect her aim toward him. But just as Machop was ready to dodge Xerneas, it seemed she might not need to as he leapt up to Yveltal's level, the bird clutching onto his back with her tail hand and lifting him up onto hers.

"What!?" Giratina spat, his eyes and mouth wide open as both rammed into him, shouting, "OBLIVION GEODE STRIKE!" the dragon coughing up a great deal of blood as he flipped backwards, falling toward the mat.

"NO!" Machop exclaimed as she leapt up to catch him. However, Yveltal and Xerneas knew she would try this as the bird flung the stag toward her with his glowing antlers aimed right at her.

"MOON BLAST!" the two exclaimed as the horns made contact with Machop's shoulders, the girl coughing up blood of her own as her back hit the canvas hard, Xerneas standing tall and proud while Giratina landed right next to her.

"Man, that was awesome!" the stag exclaimed, clapping his hooves with glee, "I'd forgotten how fun it was to fight together! Now I'm really glad we got to do this!"

Yveltal nodded and landed next to him, saying, "And you're just as strong and wonderful as always, dear," Machop and Giratina struggling to get up as Eiko squeaked, "NO!"

Isamu shook his head and uttered, "There's no way it can be over yet. Come on, Machop, get up."

It looked like she and the dragon would need to act quickly as Yveltal lifted up Xerneas by his ankles. She then lifted him high into the air while his antlers glowed, Torchic barking, "Come on, guys! You can do it! You've barely taken in any hits!"

The others joined in and started to cheer the heroes on as Giratina turned to Machop and whispered, "You know what to do, right?" the girl nodding with a grin and replying, "You'd better believe it."

Yveltal released her hold on Xerneas as he descended toward them, shouting, "GEOMANCY BOMBER!" but just as his antlers were about to make contact, Giratina and Machop rolled to the side, the stag's eyes wide open as he soon found himself stuck in the canvas.

Isamu breathed a sigh of relief as Machop rose to her feet, sending a roundhouse into the stag's side. Giratina proceeded to leap up toward Yveltal, exclaiming, "My turn now!"

Once he was high enough, he sent his wing fragments forward, piercing the bird with the spikes. He then leaned backward, flipping her over him and exclaimed, "SHADOW CLAW SUPLEX!" descending toward the mat and planting Yveltal's skull into her husband's feet.

The bird's eyes and beak were wide with shock and horror as Xerneas spat, "HONEY!" only for Machop to latch onto his ankles and leap into the air, prying him out of the mat. She then latched her ankles to his wrists and spun like a wheel, descending toward the canvas and shouting, "SUNSET SLAM!"

While incomplete, the move still worked as Xerneas' belly hit the canvas hard. Thus he gasped in pain as Machop placed a firm grip against the back of his head and slammed his chin into the surface.

The girl's friends erupted into many cheers as Giratina took a deep breath, a small bead of sweat dripping down the side of his head. However, he chose not to draw attention to it as he grinned at Machop, giving her a claw up while she returned the gesture.

Xerneas and Yveltal slowly rose to their feet as the stag took a deep breath and grunted, "Don't look so proud of yourselves. That was nothing," Yveltal standing up as well, noticing a little more sweat on Giratina's face.

With that in mind, she grinned wickedly and nudged Xerneas, pointing a claw toward the dragon. Once the stag saw what she meant, he grinned and thought, 'I knew it, Giratina. You really shouldn't be in the ring right now. By the time this match is over, Mars will need a new ruler.'

Either way, Machop did not seem to realize this as she grinned at Giratina, asking, "So, ready for more?" the dragon nodding and replying, "Yes. Now that I've seen a good number of their abilities, this won't be nearly as difficult as it was before."

"Let's see you back up those words!" Xerneas retorted as his antlers glowed once more. He then lowered his head and raced toward the dragon, barking, "GEOMANCY STAMPEDE!"

Yveltal proceeded to fly toward Machop as she smirked, saying, "They're not seriously thinking of using the same tactic they used before, are they?"

However, Giratina had a different thought as he stated, "Before you take any action, wait until they're close enough. I doubt they'll be stupid enough to try the same thing."

Once the villains got close, Machop leapt to the side while Giratina took to the sky. However, it seemed Yveltal and Xerneas were ready for this as the bird swung her arm sideways, striking Machop on the side as blood flew out.

As if that was not enough, Xerneas leapt up toward Giratina with amazing speed and exclaimed, "GEOMANCY HEADBUTT!" ramming his antlers hard into the dragon's gut.

It was not so much the fact that both had taken in the hits that shocked them. It was the fact that both Yveltal and Xerneas reacted so quickly, almost as if they depended on the two to try these exact countermeasures. And it only got worse when Yveltal leapt up and took hold of Machop's head, Xerneas wrapping his arms around Giratina and forcing him against his antlers.

"GEOMANCY SUPLEX!" the stag exclaimed as he leaned backward, planting the back of the dragon's head into the canvas.

Yveltal, meanwhile, lifted Machop into the air and flipped her backwards thus forcing the rest of her body upwards. Once her ankles were high enough, the bird took hold of them and descended toward the mat, exclaiming, "TRIPLE ARM DRIVER!"

Machop's face made contact as she coughed up blood, Yveltal releasing her hold and allowing her to collapse. The others were mortified as the reporter blinked and uttered, "Is it already over?"

Shockingly enough, despite the fact that the match had not lasted all that long, it seemed like that might very well be the case as Machop's eyes had rolled to the back of her head. As if that was not enough, Giratina was not moving at all as Yveltal and Xerneas folded their arms and smirked.

"I'll admit, those two did put up a better fight than anyone else we've faced," Xerneas stated, "That's more the kind of struggle I'd expect from the world champion. But I hope she doesn't take it too hard. After all, those two didn't really stand a chance."

Yveltal nodded and replied, "Exactly. At the very least, I give them an A for effort."

"Oh no," Eiko whimpered, "This can't be it," Isamu shaking his head and uttering, "It can't be over. I know Machop can handle much worse than this."

It seemed so when Machop started to twitch, Xerneas smirking and saying, "Well, well, well, looks like our little girl hasn't quite given up yet."

"Well, we can't have her getting up now, can we?" Yveltal replied as she once again took hold of the stag's ankles, lifting him high into the air as his antlers glowed.

Once said parts were aimed at Machop's back, the two villains exclaimed, "GEOMANCY BOMBER!" as it truly seemed like the girl would be knocked out for good. After all, with so little strength, how could she avoid this?


	91. Chapter 91

It seemed that after only a little more than ten minutes, Machop and Giratina's match with Yveltal and Xerneas was about to come to an end. The dragon seemed to be out cold while Machop was struggling to get up. And worst of all, Xerneas was right above her with his antlers glowing.

"Oh my god," Torchic uttered with terror in her eyes, "I've seen Machop get out of tight spots before, but these two are something else entirely," as Isamu and Eiko hugged one-another, Meloetta joining in.

"GEOMANCY BOMBER!" the villains exclaimed as Yveltal released her hold on Xerneas and dropped him toward Machop. But just as his attack was about to land, Giratina's eyes shot wide open as he leapt over her, sending his wing fragments and hands upward and using the spikes and claws to block the incoming antlers.

"WHAT!?" Xerneas spat as Giratina took in slight pain. But ultimately, he managed to overpower the stag and wrap his wing fragments around the horns. He then shifted them to the right, slamming Xerneas on his side before rising up and taking a deep breath, a few drops of sweat running down him.

Yveltal frowned and snapped, "OH NO YOU DON'T!" as she descended toward the dragon with her tail fist aimed at his skull. Luckily, he saw this coming as backed up slightly before rising to her level.

Yveltal's eyes were wide with shock as he wrapped his arms and wing fragments around her, flipping her upside-down while the others cheered. Xerneas slowly rose to his feet and gasped, just about to help his wife when Machop regained just enough strength to grab hold of his ankles, pulling hard enough to knock him on his back.

With Yveltal perfectly set up, Giratina pointed his head up toward the sky and opened his mouth. Dark energy formed as he exclaimed, "DRAGON BREATH DRIVER!" releasing it into the air to speed up his descent. And soon enough, the back of the bird's head hit the canvas hard as she coughed up blood.

Machop's jaw dropped as Xerneas spat, "HONEY!" He then aimed a kick at the girl only for her to block it with her palm. Afterwards, she proceeded to take hold of his other foot before throwing him over her, slamming his belly into the canvas.

The others cheered wildly as Isamu breathed a sigh of relief and said, "I have to admit, Giratina's really been a great help so far," as Venipede nodded and replied, "No kidding. This is the second time he's saved Machop."

The girl grinned at the dragon and said, "Thanks," as he nodded with a smile, breathing quite a bit while his sweat was more noticeable. The girl blinked and was just about to question this when Xerneas rose to his feet and grunted, "Hey, didn't anyone ever tell you never to turn your back to your opponent!?"

His antlers once again glowed as he raced toward the two. However, Giratina was not the least bit intimidated as he very quickly noticed that Yveltal had not yet recovered. Thus he waited just long enough before using his wing fragments to hold him back once more, Machop swerving to the side and planting a roundhouse into him.

Unlike the other times this had happened, Xerneas ignored the pain and continued forward, Giratina's eyes widening as he used his hands to try and add to the strength of his push. Before Machop could help him some more, Yveltal rose to her feet and flew toward her, Isamu exclaiming, "MACHOP, LOOK OUT!"

The girl turned just in time to see the bird's tail fist headed her way. Thus she instinctively held her arms up defensively, the fist making contact with her palms and forcing the backs of her hands into her face. Thus Machop grunted in pain and fell on her back, Giratina gasping, "Machop!" while panting.

And soon enough, his guard lowered as he felt too weak, Xerneas smirking and shouting, "GEOMANCY STAMPEDE!" forcing the dragon's back into the ropes. He then rose his head a little bit higher, getting only the shoulders and pushing back further. As a result, Giratina cried out in pain as this caused his back to bend against the material.

Machop wanted to help, but Yveltal was currently hovering over her with all three fists balled up, shouting, "TRIPLE ASSAULT!" sending them rapidly into her.

The others watched this in horror as Rinko groaned, "Dammit! They were doing such a good job!" Meloetta whimpering, "Please, don't let this be it."

As Xerneas continued to force Giratina's shoulders back, he said, "I knew it. From the moment we saw that first bead of sweat, it was clear that you're way too old to fight us. Admit it, every attack you've used throughout this match has exhausted you almost as much as the hits you've taken in."

"Is this true?" Isamu uttered as Torchic sighed, "Well, I'm sure you all noticed him breathing quite a bit earlier, but I thought maybe that was a result of him taking in a lot of damage prior to using those attacks. I didn't think just using them would have that kind of effect on him."

Machop, however, would not allow this to continue as she wrapped her arms around herself, and while this softened the punches a little bit, it barely seemed to help. But even so, this was all she needed as she lifted herself up with her shoulders, sending her feet hard into Yveltal's gut.

The bird's eyes widened as she ended her assault, the girl leaping up and wrapping her legs around her neck. She then took hold of her ankles and spread her legs out, shouting, "METEOR WARHEAD!" thus planting her skull into the mat.

The girl then proceeded to leap backwards toward Xerneas, latching her ankles to the back of his neck. She pulled backwards as hard as she could, and after a few seconds, she managed to pry his head away from Giratina as his back made contact with the mat.

Afterwards, she rose her foot and sent it hard into the stag's face before looking at Giratina with concern, asking, "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine thanks to you," the dragon replied with a light grin as Machop shook her head and retorted, "That's not what I meant and you know it! Is Xerneas right!? Should you really be fighting right now!?"

The others were equally concerned as Meloetta sighed and uttered, "She's right, Mister Giratina, sir. We don't want you to strain yourself so much," as Machop nodded and added, "My great aunt died doing the same thing you're doing right now."

"Is this true?" Isamu uttered as Eiko nodded and replied, "Yeah. Gardevoir's aunt, Psyla, fought Tyranitar back in the day and won with a brainbuster. But because she was so frail and he was so big, she died after using it. Many consider it a miracle she even managed to pull it off."

Giratina took a deep breath and replied, "I see where you're coming from, and I'm grateful for your concern. The fact that anyone would even care that much about me just warms my heart. But I knew what I was getting myself into when I volunteered to be your ally for this match. Besides, if I leave this ring, you'll be fighting alone and not even you can take these two by yourself."

The girl took a deep breath as Xerneas and Yveltal had already risen to their feet, Yveltal smirking and tauntingly saying, "Well, well, well, this is quite dilemma, isn't it? If Giratina continues to fight, he might just suffer an early death. But if he gives up and saves himself further torture, he'll just make our victory easier."

Machop slowly turned to the villains and growled, Xerneas chuckling and saying, "She's right. The others are free to try and fight us if they want, but only after this match is over. And you know what? We were thinking of sparing you before, Machop, but we'd rather do what our son foolishly retconned."

Machop's eyes widened as she gritted her teeth and clenched her fists. Now she wished she had refused Giratina's offer and chosen one of her other friends. After all, if she died, Zygarde's sacrifice would have been in vain and the last thing she wanted was to render his efforts pointless.

The dragon patted her on the shoulder and said, "Look, Machop, it's true what Xerneas said. This match is taking a toll on me, but I just know that we can still win this. There's a reason I volunteered to be your ally. It's because I have more combat experience than anyone in this room, including you. But most of all, I feel like I owe this much to your father. He influenced me to become the kind leader I am today. I can't thank him enough for that."

Machop bit her lower lip. She wanted to protest against everything he had just said, but when she saw the sincerity in his eyes, she realized there was no point in arguing. As such, she took a deep breath and nodded, saying, "Alright, let's keep going."

Xerneas rolled his eyes and groaned, "Thank god. I was just about to take advantage of that conversation of yours," Yveltal nodding and adding, "Even I was considering it."

Neither Machop nor Giratina dared question why the villains did not do that anyway as the dragon leapt up and said, "They've used a few team moves so far. Let's give them a taste of one of ours."

Machop nodded and took hold of his ankles. With that, he grinned and said, "I was just about to tell you to do that," the girl replying, "Yeah, that was pretty easy to figure out."

With that, the dragon flew forward as Yveltal rose up to his level, grunting, "I don't think so!"

Giratina grinned and flung Machop toward her, exclaiming, "NOW, AIM YOUR HEAD AT HER AND SPIN!" the girl nodding and doing just that, Yveltal's eyes wide open as she took the attack to her gut.

Giratina gave Machop more directions as she lifted up her arms, taking hold of Yveltal's. And before Xerneas could rush in to help, the dragon flew toward him and wrapped his wing fragments around him, stating, "I think you know what to do from here, Machop."

The girl analyzed his actions and nodded, flipping herself one-hundred-and-eighty degrees as she descended toward Xerneas. Giratina then rose up and exclaimed, "COLLISSION SUPLEX!" Yveltal's skull hitting the stag's antlers and coming open.

With that, the dragon flipped sideways, slammed Xerneas' neck into the canvas and spat, "SHADOW CLAW SIDE SUPLEX!"

The others cheered wildly as Isamu exclaimed, "WAY TO GO!" Venipede and Rinko applauding the two as Meloetta breathed a sigh of relief. Things had been mostly against the heroes before, but now it truly seemed like they could win.

But just as quickly as the advantage had come, it seemed like it might very well leave as Giratina was breathing more heavily than before. More sweat could be seen as he thought, 'No. Come on, body, you have more energy than that.'

Machop noticed this as Xerneas rose to his feet. But just as she was about to rush in to help, Yveltal latched onto her ankle with her tail hand and smirked, asking, "Did you already forget about me?"

With that, she proceeded to rise up into the air, pulling Machop up with her. And once high enough, she flipped her backward, reaching back and taking hold of her arms. She then flipped one-hundred-and-eighty degrees and soared toward the ground, shouting, "AVIAN DIVE!" planting Machop's skull into the canvas.

Giratina wanted to help, but Xerneas was blocking his way as he smirked and asked, "Did you honestly think that would be enough?"

The dragon scowled and grunted, "I wasn't going to rely on this, but you give me no choice! HEX!"

He gazed deep into Xerneas' eyes as the stag briefly closed them. This hardly seemed to mean a thing as he had a deadpan look on his face, his body no longer moving.

'Don't worry, Machop, I'll help you,' the dragon thought as he exclaimed, "THOUSAND FISTS!" sending his wing fragments at a rapid pace toward Xerneas.

However, his eyes widened when the stag smirked and lowered his antlers, once again making them glow as they blocked the incoming strikes. And all the while, he explained, "Nice try, but I know all about your Hex technique. You need the opponent to gaze into your eyes the exact second you use it. Unfortunately for you, I closed mine just long enough for it to have no effect on me.'

As if that was not enough, Giratina's punches started to slow down as Xerneas took full advantage of this, shifting his antlers around in a way that resulted in the wing fragments getting stuck in them. He then laughed and lifted the spellbound dragon upward, leaning backward and shouting, "GEOMANCY SUPLEX!" ramming the back of his neck into the canvas.

Giratina coughed up blood as Xerneas managed to shake the fragments out of his horns, tauntingly asking, "That's the legendary Thousand Fists technique? I gotta say, I'm really disappointed. I've heard so many incredible things about this technique, how it's killed so many heroes over the past and yet you didn't land a single punch. As if that's not enough, you only sent out a little more than a hundred punches. That's not even close to a thousand."

As Giratina slowly rose to his feet, Yveltal smirked as Machop did not seem to be moving. As such, the dragon's eyes widened in horror as he shook his head, the others just as mortified as he was. If she could not get up soon, he would be in trouble for sure.

There was no way he would allow all of their efforts to be in vain as he scowled and grunted, "Alright, so you managed to bypass Hex! Let's see you get around this!" before sinking into the mat.

Torchic blinked and uttered, "I heard of this. I'm kinda surprised he didn't use that until now," Eiko nodding and replying, "Oh yeah. That really gave Machoke trouble back in the day."

But as Giratina's wing fragments rose up under Xerneas, he smirked and leapt up, stamping his feet against two of them. This caused the dragon to hesitate as Yveltal flew over and took hold of the others, Xerneas stepping to the side and allowing her to pull Giratina out and fling him into the air.

"Come on, let's finish him off before Machop has a chance to recover," the bird said with a smirk as Xerneas nodded and leapt onto her back.

With that, Yveltal flew toward Giratina as Xerneas' antlers glowed, the bird covering herself in a red light. Before the dragon could respond, both villains rammed hard into his back and exclaimed, "OBLIVION GEODE STRIKE!"

Just like before, Giratina was unable to stay afloat after taking in such a devastating attack. Thus he plummeted toward the mat and landed hard on his back, his eyes closed now. All the while, Machop's friends and the reporter stared in horror. There was no way he could get up after taking in so much damage, was there?

Both Yveltal and Xerneas were still airborne as the stag said, "Alright, let's end this once and for all. This has been fun, but we've had enough close calls so far."

"Agreed," Yveltal replied as she aimed her tail claws toward the dragon's chest, Xerneas leaping up and planting his hooves into her shoulders. The two fell quickly toward Giratina and exclaimed, "LIFE DESTRUCTION DROP!"

With Giratina unable to react, he soon found his chest struck as blood flew from it, the area going silent as he coughed up blood. His body then started to twitch as Xerneas lowered himself and wrapped his legs around Yveltal's shoulders. He then shifted sideways, spinning his wife like a screwdriver as more blood flew out, the dragon crying out in pain.

"NO!" Eiko squeaked in terror, Meloetta shielding her eyes. None of them could believe this. Even after all of Giratina and Machop's best efforts, it seemed like they had failed.

After enough time, Giratina let out a light gasp and closed his eyes. Thus Yveltal and Xerneas ended their assault, each sporting a wicked smirk.

"That's what he gets for not realizing his limits," Xerneas said with his arms folded, "He knew he was too old for this and he still tried anyway. What a dumbass."

"Indeed," Yveltal replied with a sigh before turning to Machop and adding, "Though I'm kinda surprised she hasn't risen up again. Guess we may as well finish her off too while we're at it."

Isamu's eyes widened as he spat, "NO, DON'T! SHE'S CLEARLY UNCONSCIOUS! ISN'T THAT GOOD ENOUGH!?"

Tears formed in his eyes as Xerneas rolled his eyes and sighed, "God, what a whiner," only for Eiko to rise up and exclaim, "Come on, Machop! Get up! Don't let Giratina's efforts be in vain!"

Unfortunately, it truly seemed that Machop had been defeated as she was unable to move so much as a muscle. Thus Yveltal and Xerneas slowly approached her, readying themselves for the attack that would end her life for good.

But not long after they started their walk, their eyes widened when they felt something tugging on their ankles. They then looked down to see four of Giratina's wing fragments, the dragon coughing lightly before smirking and saying, "Fooled you."

"What!?" Xerneas spat, his eyes and mouth wide open, "How did that not kill him!?" as Yveltal let out a sigh and groaned, "I'm just ashamed of myself for actually falling for that."

Unfortunately, though, Giratina had not given himself nearly enough time to recover a great deal of strength, thus the simple act of binding their ankles in place was the best he could do right now. But just as it looked like the two villains were ready to end his life for good, Machop's eyes shot wide open as she used her hands to propel herself off of the canvas.

"OH MY GOD, YES!" Isamu exclaimed as the others cheered, Machop spreading out her legs and shouting, "DOUBLE MOON LARIAT!"

"Oh no," Yveltal and Xerneas groaned as Machop's legs hit their necks, causing them to cough up a bit of blood. Giratina grinned and ignored all the pain dealt to him earlier, flinging them high into the air. With that, he nodded at Machop who grinned and leapt up to Yveltal's level, latching onto her neck with her legs and locking her arms in place.

Giratina took a deep breath and vanished. He reappeared behind Xerneas and wrapped his wing fragments and arms around him, flipping him over. He also used his legs to apply a firm grip to the stag's neck thus forcing his head forward so his antlers could not cushion the incoming strike.

"This might actually end it," Torchic uttered, "It's gone on history that only Hoopa and Diancie were ever able to recover from this move."

"I really hope this does it," Meloetta whimpered, "It seems like a true miracle that Machop and Giratina are still standing at this point."

Isamu nodded and replied, "Yeah, but only Machop could pull off a miracle like this. Though I really was terrified back there," before wiping the tears from his eyes.

"Me too," Eiko replied as she patted her brother on the shoulder.

Soon enough, the back of Xerneas' head made contact with the canvas as Yveltal's skull was rammed into the his feet. With that, Giratina and Machop exclaimed, "MUSCLE COFFIN!" as they released their hold and allowed the two villains to collapse.

The others cheered and clapped while the reporter wiped her forehead and stated, "And there you have it, folks, the legendary Muscle Coffin! To think that Giratina and Machop were able to pull that off!"

Giratina breathed heavily, sweat pouring down his face as he grunted, "Damn. That really took a lot out of me. This is why I don't use my Shadow Force ability anymore."

Machop shook her head and patted him on the shoulder, saying, "Still, as much as your age seems to have gotten to you, I don't think I could have asked for a better ally for this match."

But just as it looked like everything had finally come to a close, Machop and Giratina's eyes widened when they heard the sound of grunts and groans. And when they turned, it seemed their fear was justified as Xerneas and Yveltal had managed to rise to their feet. They breathed heavily and glared at their opponents, blood dripping from their mouths.

"How!?" Yveltal grunted, "How are you two able to keep getting up!? Machop I can understand, but even you, Giratina!? It's already been established that you're too old for this!"

Giratina took a deep breath and folded his arms, replying, "If I could be perfectly honest, I don't know why I continue to fight. By every logical count, I should have lost the ability to fight back when I took in that team move of yours a second time. I guess maybe my fighting spirit is just too strong, kinda like another someone I know."

Machop beamed bright as Xerneas growled, "Whatever! So you two have managed to pull off a few impressive hits! So you continue to rise after everything we've done! That hardly matters because there is no way in Hell we're letting you ruin everything after all this time!"

With that, a blue aura surrounded the stag while Yveltal had a red aura. The pointy coloured formations on Xerneas' antlers grew so they reached one-and-a-half times higher. He also sprouted three fingers and toes on each hoof. Meanwhile, Yveltal's claws grew slightly longer while her tail changed form to look more like a spear.

While neither had undergone a huge change in appearance, it was clear just from looking at them that they had become more deadly. The match had already been difficult for Machop and Giratina up to this point, but now it had gotten even worse. Was all hope lost or could they still win?


	92. Chapter 92

As if Xerneas and Yveltal were not threatening enough before, now they had made themselves more powerful. All the while, Giratina and Machop had taken in all sorts of damage prior to this while the dragon had exhausted himself with all of the moves he had pulled off up to this point. Needless to say, it was not looking good.

"Dammit!" Isamu cursed through gritted teeth, "Why!? They were doing such a good job! Why do these two keep recovering!?" as Eiko bit her lower lip and whimpered, "I just want this all to end. We've already lost two friends. I can't bear to lose anyone else."

"Hey, don't lose faith," Rinko uttered with a nervous smile, "This is Machop we're talking about here, and Giratina's proven himself pretty awesome for an elderly man. I'm sure they can keep their advantage going."

Venipede nodded and replied, "Exactly. Think about how many tight spots Machop has managed to get out of. Sure, she's lost a few matches, but she still has as better track record than any of us."

Meloetta took a deep breath and nodded, saying, "If anyone can defeat Yveltal and Xerneas, I'm sure it's these two. I don't think it was a mistake for Giratina to team up with her. I get the feeling he really is better than any of us could have been."

Meanwhile, in the hospital, Jackalu gritted his teeth and growled, "Come on, Machop! Don't let these new forms get to you! You're saucesome!" as Clawitzer patted him on the shoulder.

Gallador and Garbodor had woken up a while ago and thus had seen half the match up to this point. And after what they had witnessed, both were fully confident that Giratina and Machop could turn this around. After all, with the number of close calls they had already overcome, the fact that Yveltal and Xerneas continued to fight felt like the true miracle to them.

Vigoroth was also awake as she grinned and said, "Come on, Machop, kick their asses. I know you can do it."

In the hotel, the other heroes were just as supportive, especially Delphox and Fletchinder. The last thing they wanted was for all of their efforts to be in vain.

Sneasel and Gigalith also watched with serious looks in their eyes, both feeling fully confident in Machop and Giratina. While the golem may not have faced the girl in an official match, the fact that she had defeated Sneasel convinced him that she truly could pull this off.

And of course, Lairon, Garchomp and Eri were all supportive as the couple cheered Machop on. They knew she could not hear them but still felt like they had to give as much encouragement as possible. And the same went for Noboru and Hana.

But most of all, Machoke and Gardevoir watched the match on TV with hope. After all, Machop had the fighting spirit of her father and the hidden power of her mother. This certainly made for an amazing combination, one that had proven itself useful multiple times.

Machop seemed to think so as she took a deep breath and asked, "Do you feel up to this, Giratina?" the dragon nodding and replying, "Yes, I think I can manage. I don't know what it is, but fighting alongside you has given me more energy than I figured I would have."

With that, the two struck defensive stances as Xerneas smirked and asked, "You ready for this?" Yveltal giving him a thumb claw up and flapping her arms, rising up off the mat.

She then flew toward Giratina who waited for her to get close enough before taking to the sky himself. But just as it looked like he was going to dodge her next attack, his eyes widened when the bird flipped backward, lifting her tail up and putting five big gashes on his torso. And things got worse when she flapped behind him, planting her hand claws into his shoulders while piercing his back with her tail.

Machop, all the while, tried dodging Xerneas by leaping to the side. Unfortunately, he saw this coming and sent a roundhouse into her face, and due to his feet how having three toes as opposed to one, this wound up dealing more damage than it normally would have. And with Machop distracted, he sent two jabs into the same spot before tilted his head down and planting his antlers into her.

Since his spiky protrusions were dominant at this point, Machop's body had been pierced as her eyes and mouth were wide open. As if that was not enough, Xerneas now had her stuck in place as he lifted his head back up, leaping into the air as Yveltal smirked and descended toward him with Giratina's belly facing Machop's.

"AVIAN STAMPEDE!" the two villains exclaimed as both heroes made contact, coughing up blood as the others stared in horror, Isamu rising to his feet and barking, "MACHOP!"

Giratina gritted his teeth and tried his best to ignore this, sending his wing fragments upward and piercing Yveltal while shouting, "SHADOW CLAW!" but the bird ignored it and smirked.

She then removed her claws from his shoulders and spread out her arms, keeping the tail claws in his back while Xerneas descended toward the mat and flipped himself one-hundred-and-eighty degrees. Yveltal then descended toward the mat and exclaimed, "TAIL SPEAR DROP!"

Giratina's belly made contact with the mat as he coughed up more blood. And all the while, the back of Machop's neck had been slammed into the canvas as Xerneas exclaimed, "GEOMANCY SUPLEX!"

Both villains released their victims and folded their arms while laughing maniacally. Everyone else was silent as they were once again mortified. It seemed these small upgrades really had made Yveltal and Xerneas more deadly. Could the heroes even recover from this?

Even if they could, Yveltal would not allow this as she flapped above Giratina with her claws aimed at his back, specifically the area where his heart was. Now that her claws were long enough, she knew she could pierce it even from this side.

"Alright, this time, you'd better die for real," she stated as Xerneas leapt up to her level and planted his hooves into her shoulders. Thus both villains descended toward Giratina and exclaimed, "LIFE DESTRUCTION DROP!"

Just as they were seconds away from piercing the dragon, his eyes shot wide open as he gasped, "Oh my god, I can still move!"

With that, he sent his wing fragments up once more and planted the spikes into the tip of Yveltal's tail. Her eyes widened as not only was the recovery itself shocking, but he was actually able to push up hard enough to prevent her from landing her attack even with Xerneas adding to the speed of her descent.

The others cheered wildly as Machop rose to her feet with a grin on her face. Both villains were too spellbound to respond as she leapt at Xerneas and wrapped her legs around his neck. And with all her might, she managed to pull them downward, their backs hitting the canvas hard.

"Oh my god," Isamu sighed as he wiped sweat off of his forehead, "They keep cutting it so close," as Meloetta and Eiko hugged one-another. Both had been even more terrified than the others.

Giratina quickly rose to his feet and sent a spike into each villain's back, shouting, "SHADOW CLAW!" before removing them and distancing himself.

Machop grinned as Yveltal and Xerneas once again rose to their feet. Both looked furious now as Yveltal spat, "Dammit! I'd accept this if Giratina had transformed into his more powerful state, but he hasn't! How does he keep doing this!?"

"Wait, more powerful state?" Machop uttered as the dragon sighed, "Oh yeah, it's a form that multiplies my physical strength by one and a half. As much as I would have loved to have used that form earlier, the last time I used it, it caused me to go rogue and revert back to how I used to be when I was evil. That's why I'm really hoping we can win this with me in my current state."

The girl nodded and smiled, saying, "Well, we seem to be doing alright despite the odds constantly stacked against us. Come on, let's keep going."

Yveltal and Xerneas refused to let them deal more hits as they readied their claws and antlers. And just as it seemed like Machop and Giratina would be struck again, the girl swerved to the side and sent a roundhouse into Xerneas' side and a karate chop into his cheek at the same time. While the kick alone had barely slowed him down before, this time he reacted as he grunted and faltered sideways.

All the while, Giratina waited for Yveltal to get close before spinning around with his wing fragments outward, barking, "OMINOUS WIND!"

While spinning like this did cause the dragon to exhaust his energy quite a bit, it also allowed him to cover Yveltal in cuts while Machop took hold of Xerneas from behind. She then leapt up and planted her skull into his back, causing him to fly forward and run right into Yveltal's back.

"That's what I'm talking about!" Torchic exclaimed with a grin as Isamu nodded and said, "Yeah. This match is theirs. I can feel it."

Unfortunately, Xerneas and Yveltal refused to let this get to them as they locked arms and lifted up their feet. They then spun and dealt a series of kicks to Giratina's side, shouting, "COUPLE'S TWISTER!"

Their assault came to a halt when Machop leapt toward them with her arm out, shouting, "MOON HOOK!" and reaching them just in time to strike Yveltal's neck.

Despite all the pain he had just taken in, Giratina was still able to fight as he took full advantage of this and pierced Xerneas with his wing spikes. He then leaned backward and lifted the stag above his head, shouting, "SHADOW CLAW SUPLEX!" shifting his wing fragments so they were pointed downward thus planting Xerneas' back into the canvas.

Things seemed to get better as Machop swung Yveltal around, wrapping one arm around her chest area and asking, "You think you can handle this?" as Giratina nodded, kept his spikes in Xerneas and turned to him.

With that, both heroes lifted up their opponents and leaned backward, exclaiming, "DOUBLE SUPLEX!" ramming the back of each villain's head into the other.

But just as Machop and Giratina were ready to try even more, Yveltal and Xerneas ignored the pain as the stag wrapped his ankles around the dragon's neck. Yveltal, all the while, bent her tail backward and used it to clutch onto Machop's head.

Both heroes gasped as their eyes widened. And soon enough, they found themselves flung into the air as Yveltal wasted no time flying above Giratina and ramming her tail fist into his gut thus causing him to careen into the mat.

"Now, dear!" she exclaimed, "At the very least, we're gonna finish off Machop for good!"

"Right!" Xerneas exclaimed as he leapt up and rammed his antlers hard into Machop's back. This sent her flying higher as he leapt up to her height again, repeating the attack and sending her even farther from the ring. And once she was as high as she could get, Yveltal flew behind her and took hold of her head, throwing her backwards hard enough to cause all but her head to flip upside-down. The bird then took hold of her ankles and descended toward Giratina's back, shouting, "GEOMANCY TRIPLE ARM DRIVER!"

Xerneas grinned and leapt up to her level, once again planting his hooves into her shoulders and speeding up her descent. And soon enough, Machop's skull made contact with Giratina's back as the both coughed up blood, their eyes closing as Yveltal released her hold on the girl.

Meloetta bit her lower lip, cupping her hands together and praying that things would turn out for the better. Venipede trembled and uttered, "They'll get up from that, right?" as Rinko nodded and replied, "Of course. They've managed to overcome much worse throughout this match, right?"

Yveltal and Xerneas were once again prepared to end this match for good. After the heroes had recovered from so many close calls, they could no longer risk it. As such, Yveltal took to the sky and aimed her claws at Giratina's chest while Xerneas followed suit, flipping himself over and pointing his horns at Machop.

"TAIL SPEAR DROP!" Yveltal exclaimed as Xerneas shouted, "GEOMANCY BOMBER!"

But just as their attacks were about to hit, Machop and Giratina managed to recover just in time before propelling themselves up and latching onto the villains. Giratina flipped Yveltal upside-down as Machop took full advantage of the fact that Xerneas already had his head aimed downward, both wrapping their arms around their opponents and adding to the speed of their descent. Thus both villains had the backs of her heads hit the canvas hard as they coughed up blood.

However, they refused to allow Giratina and Machop to add to this as they wriggled free from their holds. They then leapt upright and breathed heavily, looks of irritation on their faces. They could not believe how many times this had happened.

However, they also refused to let this get to them as they nodded at one-another. Xerneas then leapt on Yveltal's back as she rose up off the mat and spread her arms out. A bright aura formed around each villain as the bird flew toward the heroes, both of them shouting, "OBLIVION GEODE STRIKE!"

Giratina and Machop were unable to respond in time as unlike before, Yveltal tilted to the right. As such, Giratina took her beak to his gut while Machop was once again stabbed by Xerneas' antlers.

It did not end there as Yveltal used her tail hand to lock Giratina in place. And with the antlers still stuck in Machop, Xerneas did not need to do a thing as the bird took to the sky. Once they reached the edges of the volcano, they smirked as Yveltal performed a U-turn, heading toward the canvas.

"YOU TWO HAVE BEEN SUCH A PAIN IN THE ASS!" she exclaimed as Xerneas added, "YEAH, BUT THERE'S NO WAY IN HELL YOU'LL SURVIVE THIS!"

Thus the two exclaimed, "OBLIVION GEODE BOMBER!" only for Giratina to grit his teeth and growl, "No! We won't fail! Right, Machop!?"

The girl nodded and ignored the pain to her body as she let out a loud cry, briefly expanding the size of her muscles. After a few seconds, Xerneas' eyes widened as this managed to force his antlers out of her flesh, Giratina all the while spinning while shouting, "OMINOUS WIND!" dark wind surrounding him.

Yveltal winced as she found herself unable to hold onto him. Thus both villains had their guards dropped as Machop took hold of Xerneas and lowered him so she was clutching his ankles. She then forced his body into a bridge formation and locked his head in place with her feet, forcing it forward so now the back of his head was facing the mat.

Things only got better when Giratina flipped himself upside-down and wrapped his wing fragments and arms around Yveltal. He then spun while the same dark wind picked up, planting her skull into Xerneas' belly while now all four fighters were spinning like a tornado.

The others watched in awe as Isamu uttered, "Oh my god," Eiko saying, "That's so cool. They're combining the Mach Lightning with Giratina's Ominous Wind Suplex."

After a few seconds, the back of Xerneas' head hit the canvas hard as Machop and Giratina exclaimed, "MACH THUNDERSTORM!" Yveltal's skull taking in extra damage as both villains coughed up a great deal of blood.

All went silent as Giratina and Machop released their hold, allowing both villains to collapse with Yveltal still on top of Xerneas. But while it looked like the villains might not rise, the heroes refused to drop their guard. After all, both teams had recovered from many powerful strikes throughout the match.

After half-a-minute, the heroes and their friends tensed up as Yveltal and Xerneas managed to push themselves up, their bodies shaking. The stag took a deep breath and pointed at Machop, growling, "You think that's gonna stop us!? Zygarde may have been tough, but we're tough too!" Yveltal nodding and uttering, "Yeah. Don't think for a minute that you've... you've..."

Both coughed up one last bit of blood as their eyes rolled to the backs of their heads. Their eyelids then closed shut as they fell forward, landing on their chins as the reporter nodded and stated, "Well, there you have it, folks. Giratina and Machop, or rather The Phantom Muscles have defeated Life's Destruction and saved the world!"

Isamu and Eiko smiled wide and embraced one-another, exclaiming, "YES! THEY DID IT!" Rinko and Venipede performing a victory dance while Meloetta and Torchic breathed sighs of relief.

In the hospital, Vigoroth grinned and said, "I knew they could do it," Jackalu and Clawitzer cheering in the other room, not caring how disruptive they were being right now.

Gallador and Garbodor grinned as the trash heap said, "I knew she could do it, especially after the way she defeated me," Gallador nodding and adding, "And we can't forget Giratina. He showed amazing perseverance."

Sneasel grinned and exclaimed, "Yeah! I knew they could do it!" Gigalith pumping his fists happily in the air.

The others watching could not have been happier, Garchomp and Lairon giving each other a high five and exclaiming, "That's our pupil!" Eri barking happily and wagging her tail.

Noboru and Hana were beyond relieved as the man said, "Wow. I tell you, that Mach family continues to amaze me more and more," Hana nodding and adding, "I'm just glad the kids didn't get hurt once."

And naturally, Machoke and Gardevoir were beyond ecstatic as they pulled out bottles of soda and clinked them together. Needless to say, they were not only proud of their daughter but really happy that Giratina had come to help her pull this off.

Machop breathed heavily and smiled at Giratina who was breathing even harder. He forced a smile and held a claw up, the girl saying, "We make an awesome team, don't we?"

Giratina nodded before glaring down at Yveltal and Xerneas, asking, "What should we do with them?" as Machop shrugged and replied, "We'll have Hero Planet's government throw them in jail."

"So you don't believe in killing your opponents either," the dragon replied as the girl nodded and stated, "It doesn't matter how horrible a person is. A life is still a life. And besides, if I let them live, I give them an opportunity to turn their lives around."

With that, both heroes stepped out of the ring, Machop immediately met by a tight embrace from Isamu. The boy let down light tears and patted her on the back, exclaiming, "You are amazing! Both of you were so awesome back there! I'd expect no less, but it still astounds me every time I see it!"

Eiko nodded and sighed, "I bet up in Heaven, Kelani's really happy that you won. And, well, so am I."

"Yeah, thank god it's finally over," Venipede sighed as Rinko added, "Yeah. I've never seen such a close match before."

Meloetta nodded and walked over to Machop, squeaking, "I was so scared! Are you gonna be alright!?" the girl replying, "Of course I am. Think about who you're talking to here."

She then turned to Giratina and added, "But special props go to my partner. I honestly don't think I could have won this without him," the dragon sighing, "Same here. I don't think I'll ever fight again after this, but I'm just glad I finally got to do something good for the world."

With all said and done, he headed toward his UFO and grinned, saying, "Maybe if I get the time, I'll stop on by for a visit," Machop nodding and replying, "That would be awesome. I'll call up Mama and Daddy so you can see them too."

The dragon nodded and replied, "I'd like that," before boarding the space vessel and taking off.

With all said and done, things had truly turned out for the best. Yveltal and Xerneas along with their followers were all brought to prison, most of them deciding to start a new life once they were freed. Though of course, there were those who would not change their ways, such as Froslass and Dunsparce due to them both being too mentally unstable.

It was unknown whether or not Yveltal and Xerneas themselves would ever change their ways, especially since deep down, they knew their plan could not work without Zygarde. But luckily, Hero Planet's prisons were more than powerful enough to contain them, so this was hardly an issue.

Giratina returned to Mars and all of his followers were happy to see him return in one piece. As much as they respected him, even they had wondered if he was really fit to fight evil, especially two villains as powerful as Yveltal and Xerneas.

And of course, Machop and her friends took a flight to their assigned areas. Though many of the others had agreed to stop by Tokyo on the way back for one specific purpose.

As it so happened, Eiko and Isamu had both agreed that it would be a good idea to hold a proper funeral for Zygarde when they returned and even though Fletchinder and Delphox did not know him very well, they felt that it would only be right to pay their respects to the one who gave up his life to save Machop.

When the group returned, Machop was happily greeted by Lairon and Garchomp, both of them holding her in a tight embrace and talking about how proud they were of her. However, the girl was shocked to hear that her parents were on their way to Tokyo to see her. After all, they wanted to congratulate her for all of her efforts in person.

And needless to say, Machop was very happy to see them when they arrived. Naturally, Machoke and Gardevoir wanted to celebrate her accomplishments, and ultimately, the girl decided to do so at the club. After all, both Machoke and Gardevoir used to visit that place frequently, so it just felt right.

But before they could do that, they decided to hold the funeral first. A monument had been set up in the cemetery for Zygarde as everyone close to him arrived to pay their respects. As exciting as it was for Eiko to be in the same area as Machoke and Gardevoir, she could only focus on the funeral as naturally, she had the most tears during the entire event.

Once everyone had given a speech, the pink-haired girl walked over to the monument and sniffed, "I'll miss you, Kelani. You have no idea how happy you made me. I know I'm not your real mother nor am I really old enough to be one, but it was still pretty awesome teaching you so many things and spending time with you. I don't see you as a son but as a friend, and I hope you're having the time of your life up in Heaven."

She then placed a flower in front of the monument as she and the others headed off, deciding they may as well postpone the celebration. However, Eiko protested against it, figuring that the last thing Zygarde wanted was for them to spend the rest of the day mourning over him. If anything, she figured having a good time would make him a lot happier.

Unfortunately, most of those not assigned to Tokyo felt that they had to return to their areas, though Gallador, Jackalu and Clawitzer had ultimately decided to stay for the celebration. Not only did they feel obligated to do so, but at the very least, the dog and the shrimp could easily take the bullet train back to Osaka.

While the group had a bit of trouble really getting into the spirit at first, it was not long until they were having fun, Machoke and Gardevoir more than happy to see the owner again. Gardevoir and Meloetta even performed a duet with the karaoke machine to which they were met with a great deal of applause. The green-haired girl was especially happy to meet someone with a singing voice that complimented hers so perfectly.

And from that moment on, things really started to look up. Meloetta eventually started a relationship with someone who genuinely liked her for who she was, Vigoroth having of course helped her realize he was right for her. He was a polite young boy named Yoshinori.

As everyone had suspected, Jackalu and Clawitzer started a relationship as well. Needless to say, it came as a shock to them when they discovered their friends had seen it coming.

Gigalith and Sneasel or course continued to fight crime in Edmonton, keeping the streets safe. Though unlike Jackalu and Clawitzer, they never developed feelings for one-another, each one finding a different mate. Either way, they were happy and that was all that mattered.

Though one thing that really surprised everyone was that after being released from prison, Magcargo had chosen to help protect the same area Fletchinder was assigned to. In order to help him interact with people, the robin's ally, a flower girl named Bellossum, had a good friend of hers, an inventor named Shindo, create a fireproof outfit. And with that, the snail was able to make contact with others without burning them.

And during that time, he and the robin developed feelings, especially with Fletchinder being one of the few beings who could touch him without being badly hurt. Needless to say, Magcargo was beyond happy.

Garbodor felt beyond fortunate as he wound up with a nice young garbage woman. Since she worked with dirt on a regular basis, a walking pile of trash did not repulse her in the slightest. And of course, Gallador had found himself someone to settle down with as well.

Five years passed and things had been surprisingly peaceful during all that time. It was as if the defeat of Yveltal and Xerneas had caused other villains to rethink their ways. As such, many of the heroes went on to get normal jobs, Meloetta becoming a live performer with Vigoroth as her bodyguard.

Venipede got himself a nice office job as he did not wish for a stressful career. Rinko, meanwhile, became a police officer, still feeling the need to protect the innocent. And needless to say, she was the best that Tokyo had to offer.

Isamu had passed college and went on to become a banker while Eiko became a daycare assistant. After having spent months caring for a child and doing a surprisingly good job of it, she felt that this was the life for her. And while she hoped to one day get married and have her own kid, she did not try to rush into it.

Torchic got herself a job at a construction site. While her lack of arms did make this rather difficult, she was still able to pull it off.

Machop had become an instructor at a local dojo. After having spent so long learning to fight, she felt it only necessary to pass Lairon's teachings onto a new generation of potential fighters. And after making enough money, she eventually moved out of the dinosaur's house to get her own place.

And after a bit more time had passed, Isamu finally popped the question. Needless to say, no expenses were made for the wedding as Machoke pitched in to pay for it just like Machamp did when he married Gardevoir. And of course, it was a joyous occasion.

Rinko and Venipede were married later that same year and were already making plans to have a child of their own. They were fully intent on teaching him or her both of their methods of fighting, whether the child was a centipede or a human. After all, if Rinko could match the strength of a hero, anything was possible.

As for Clawitzer and Jackalu, they had been married for quite some time. As a matter of fact, they only waited until the age of twenty as they could not anticipate such a major event any longer. And after their marriage was official, rather than sharing a kiss, they decided to perform their victory dance much to the audience's dismay.

Meloetta and Yoshinori waited a touch longer than the others. While Meloetta had been more eager for marriage than Jackalu and Clawitzer at first, she realized that she was better off thinking about such a big decision for quite a while before going through with it. But when it finally happened, she was beyond happy and even got to perform her own reception as per her request.

Five more years passed as all of Machop's friends had children save for her. This was due to the fact that she had been pregnant during that time, but it was not long until the big day came.

Isamu, Eiko and all of the others stood there as Machop breathed heavily, a nurse handing her a baby covered in a blanket. Machop smiled sweetly and held her new baby girl, this one resembling her but having six arms, the most any member of the Mach family had ever possessed. She then lifted the child up and said, "Hello, little cutie. I'd like to welcome you to Tokyo. From now on, your name shall be Mapin."


End file.
